Limiting city and village authority to annex town territory. (FE)

Another method of annexation is direct annexation by unanimous approval. If a petition for direct annexation by unanimous approval signed by all of the electors residing in the territory and the owners of all of the real property in the territory is filed with the city or village clerk and the town clerk of all of the involved towns, along with a scale map and legal description of the property to be annexed, the governing body of the city or village may, generally, annex the property by a two-thirds vote of the body. Such an annexation, however, is subject to Department of Administration advisory review as if the annexation petition were for direct, but not unanimous, annexation or annexation by referendum.

Generally, cities and villages may also annex territory that is owned by the city or village and that lies near but not necessarily contiguous to the city or village by enacting an ordinance to annex such territory.

Under this bill, a city or village may not complete an annexation under which 50 percent or more of the territory to be annexed is located 0.25 miles or more from the city's or village's border (a noncontiguous annexation) unless the town board of the town in which the territory to be annexed is located adopts a resolution approving the annexation.

Also under the bill, if over a consecutive three year period a city or village completes a number of annexations under any of the allowable methods of annexation which, if the series of annexations were attempted as a single annexation, would have resulted in a noncontiguous annexation, the final annexation in the series may not occur unless the town board of the town in which the territory to be annexed is located adopts a resolution approving the annexation.