Senate Bill 215
Town clerk and treasurer appointments, publication requirements for proposed budget summary and notice of public hearing, and discontinuance of highways. (FE)
Topics: Road, Town: Finance, Town: Officers
Became law
The governor signed it on Dec 10, 2025. It's .
-
Introduced, passed
Apr 16, 2025
-
Committee, passed
Approved
-
Senate vote, passed
Passed May 15, 2025
-
Assembly vote, passed
Passed Oct 7, 2025
-
Governor, passed
Signed
-
Law, here now
2025 Wisconsin Act 71
Latest entry in the official record, Dec 10, 2025: “Published 12-10-2025”
Following saves it on this device. New actions show on your Following page. You can also get updates in a feed reader.
Embed this on your site
Paste this code into your page. The card shows the latest record each time it loads. Preview the card
The same bill was also filed in the Assembly as AB 214. That version died when the session ended.
Terms on this page
Wisconsin Act
The number a bill gets when it becomes law, like 2025 Wisconsin Act 12.
Official term: Act. More in the glossary
Legislative Reference Bureau
The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.
Official term: LRB analysis. More in the glossary
Author
A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.
Official term: Author, coauthor. More in the glossary
Signed on in support
Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.
Official term: Cosponsor. More in the glossary
Cost estimate
A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.
Official term: Fiscal estimate. More in the glossary
Roll call
A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.
Official term: Roll call vote. More in the glossary
What it does
Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.
This bill makes changes to various town procedures. Current law provides that a town may combine certain positions, such as the town clerk and the town treasurer, and provides that the combination takes effect on the latest date that any current term of an office to be combined expires. The bill retains that deadline, but allows the town board to provide that the combination of offices takes effect immediately as both positions become vacant or, if the person appointed to the combined office holds one of the offices to be combined, immediately upon a vacancy in the other office to be combined.
Current law also provides that a town with a population of 2,500 or more may move from an elected clerk, treasurer, or combined office of clerk and treasurer to an appointed clerk, treasurer, or combined clerk and treasurer by a vote of the electors at a town meeting. Under current law, a town with a population of under 2,500 may only move from an elected clerk, treasurer, or combined clerk and treasurer to an appointed position through a referendum. The bill allows a town of any size to move from an elected position to an appointed one by a vote of the electors at a town meeting. Current law also prohibits a town’s change from an elected to an appointed clerk, treasurer, or combined clerk and treasurer from taking effect until the end of the current elected term. Under the bill, a town may move to an appointed clerk, treasurer, or combined clerk and treasurer position during an elected term when there is a vacancy in the position.
Read the full summary Show less
Under current law, a town treasurer is permitted to appoint a deputy treasurer, while a town clerk may appoint one or more deputies. The bill provides that a town treasurer may appoint one or more deputies. The bill also provides that deputy town clerks and deputy town treasurers need not be residents of the town.
The bill also changes the publication and notice requirements for towns with respect to the public hearing regarding the town’s proposed budget. Current law requires that towns, cities, and villages conduct a public hearing on a proposed budget. Under current law, cities and villages must provide a summary of the proposed budget and notice of the budget public hearing and may do so by publishing the summary and notice in a newspaper, posting it in three locations, or posting it in one location and on a website maintained by the municipality. Current law also requires towns to provide a summary of the proposed budget and notice of the budget public hearing, but towns must post the summary and notice in three locations. This bill eliminates the limitation on how towns must provide the summary and notice, instead allowing towns the same options as cities and villages.
Finally, under current law, every highway ceases to be a public highway four years from the date on which it was laid out, except the parts of the highway that have been opened, traveled, or worked within that time. The bill eliminates the travel exception from consideration by a town board in determining whether a highway has ceased to be a public highway.
Who's behind it
8 senators are its . 6 are Republicans and 2 are Democrats.
25 more lawmakers .
See all 33 names Hide the names
Authors (8)
- Rachael Cabral-Guevara · Republican, Senate
- Dan Feyen · Republican, Senate
- André Jacque · Republican, Senate
- Jesse James · Republican, Senate
- Howard Marklein · Republican, Senate
- Brad Pfaff · Democrat, Senate
- Romaine Quinn · Republican, Senate
- Mark Spreitzer · Democrat, Senate
Signed on in support (25)
- Clint Anderson · Democrat, Assembly
- Dave Armstrong · Republican, Assembly
- Mike Bare · Democrat, Assembly
- Calvin Callahan · Republican, Assembly
- Alex Dallman · Republican, Assembly
- Barbara Dittrich · Republican, Assembly
- Steve Doyle · Democrat, Assembly
- Cindi Duchow · Republican, Assembly
- Fitzgerald and Miresse
- Gus Gustafson · Republican, Assembly
- Jenna Jacobson · Democrat, Assembly
- Tara Johnson · Democrat, Assembly
- Dan Knodl · Republican, Assembly
- Rob Kreibich · Republican, Assembly
- Tony Kurtz · Republican, Assembly
- Jeff Mursau · Republican, Assembly
- Jerry O'Connor · Republican, Assembly
- Melissa Ratcliff · Democrat, Senate
- Ann Roe · Democrat, Assembly
- David Steffen · Republican, Assembly
- Shelia Stubbs · Democrat, Assembly
- Rob Swearingen · Republican, Assembly
- Nancy VanderMeer · Republican, Assembly
- Chuck Wichgers · Republican, Assembly
- Bob Wittke · Republican, Assembly
What it would cost
State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.
How lawmakers voted
There was one vote on this bill.
Senate Committee on Transportation and Local Government vote to recommend it
Passed, 5 to 0 · May 8, 2025
No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.
Official motion: “Report passage recommended by Committee on Transportation and Local Government, Ayes 5, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page
What happened
-
Dec 10, 2025
The new law was published.
-
Dec 10, 2025
The governor signed it. It became 2025 Wisconsin Act 71.
-
Dec 4, 2025
Sent to the governor.
-
Oct 7, 2025
The Assembly passed it too.
-
Oct 6, 2025 to Oct 7, 2025
3 more representatives signed on in support.
-
Aug 4, 2025
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
-
May 28, 2025 to Jun 2, 2025
2 more representatives signed on in support.
-
May 27, 2025
Sent to the Assembly Committee on Rules.
-
May 15, 2025
The Assembly received it.
-
May 15, 2025
The Senate passed it.
-
May 15, 2025
1 more senator signed on in support.
-
May 8, 2025
The committee voted to recommend passing it, 5 to 0.
-
May 7, 2025
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
-
May 6, 2025
The committee held a public hearing.
-
Apr 30, 2025 to May 6, 2025
3 more representatives signed on in support.
-
Apr 16, 2025
Sent to the Senate Committee on Transportation and Local Government.
-
Apr 16, 2025
Introduced in the Senate.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Apr 16, 2025 · Senate
Introduced by Senators Quinn, Pfaff, Cabral-Guevara, Feyen, Jacque, James, Marklein and Spreitzer; cosponsored by Representatives Dallman, O'Connor, Anderson, Armstrong, Callahan, Dittrich, Duchow, Gustafson, Johnson, Knodl, Kreibich, Kurtz, Mursau, Swearingen, VanderMeer, Wichgers and Wittke
- Apr 16, 2025 · Senate
Read first time and referred to Committee on Transportation and Local Government
- Apr 30, 2025 · Senate
Representative Doyle added as a cosponsor
- May 1, 2025 · Senate
Representative Bare added as a cosponsor
- May 6, 2025 · Senate
Representative Roe added as a cosponsor
- May 6, 2025 · Senate
Public hearing held
- May 7, 2025 · Senate
Fiscal estimate received
- May 8, 2025 · Senate
Executive action taken
- May 8, 2025 · Senate
Report passage recommended by Committee on Transportation and Local Government, Ayes 5, Noes 0
- May 8, 2025 · Senate
Available for scheduling
- May 13, 2025 · Senate
Placed on calendar 5-15-2025 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)
- May 15, 2025 · Senate
Senator Ratcliff added as a coauthor
- May 15, 2025 · Senate
Read a second time
- May 15, 2025 · Senate
Ordered to a third reading
- May 15, 2025 · Senate
Rules suspended to give bill its third reading
- May 15, 2025 · Senate
Read a third time and passed
- May 15, 2025 · Senate
Ordered immediately messaged
- May 15, 2025 · Assembly
Received from Senate
- May 27, 2025 · Assembly
Read first time and referred to committee on Rules
- May 28, 2025 · Assembly
Representative J. Jacobson added as a cosponsor
- Jun 2, 2025 · Assembly
Representative Steffen added as a cosponsor
- Aug 4, 2025 · Assembly
Fiscal estimate received
- Oct 3, 2025 · Assembly
Withdrawn from Committee on Rules and referred to calendar of 10-7-2025
- Oct 6, 2025 · Assembly
Representatives Fitzgerald and Miresse added as cosponsors
- Oct 7, 2025 · Assembly
Representative Stubbs added as a cosponsor
- Oct 7, 2025 · Assembly
Rules suspended to withdraw from calendar and take up
- Oct 7, 2025 · Assembly
Read a second time
- Oct 7, 2025 · Assembly
Ordered to a third reading
- Oct 7, 2025 · Assembly
Rules suspended
- Oct 7, 2025 · Assembly
Read a third time and concurred in
- Oct 7, 2025 · Assembly
Ordered immediately messaged
- Oct 7, 2025 · Senate
Received from Assembly concurred in
- Oct 9, 2025 · Senate
Report correctly enrolled
- Dec 4, 2025 · Senate
Presented to the Governor on 12-4-2025
- Dec 10, 2025 · Senate
Report approved by the Governor on 12-9-2025. 2025 Wisconsin Act 71
- Dec 10, 2025 · Senate
Published 12-10-2025
Terms on this page
Wisconsin Act
The number a bill gets when it becomes law, like 2025 Wisconsin Act 12.
Official term: Act. More in the glossary
Legislative Reference Bureau
The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.
Official term: LRB analysis. More in the glossary
Author
A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.
Official term: Author, coauthor. More in the glossary
Signed on in support
Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.
Official term: Cosponsor. More in the glossary
Cost estimate
A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.
Official term: Fiscal estimate. More in the glossary
Roll call
A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.
Official term: Roll call vote. More in the glossary
From the Wisconsin Legislature's official record, checked Sep 15, 2026. See the source
Wisconsin Act
The number a bill gets when it becomes law, like 2025 Wisconsin Act 12.
Official term: Act
Legislative Reference Bureau
The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.
Official term: LRB analysis
Signed on in support
Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.
Official term: Cosponsor
Cost estimate
A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.
Official term: Fiscal estimate
Roll call
A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.
Official term: Roll call vote