Wisconsin
Statute 60.10 Powers of the Town Meeting.
(1) Direct Powers. The town meeting may:
(a) Raise Money....
Setting the tax levy (mill rate) has traditionally been done
after the fall Budget Hearing. After the electors establish the
levy, the Town Board meets to adopt a budget. The 2003 Special
Town Meeting set the tax rate at $2.07 per $1,000 of assessed
value and established the Road Maintenance Budget at $548,280
plus the amount of unexpended road improvement monies from the
2003 Budget plus the amount necessary to rebuild the Low Road
Bridge (90% of the base cost of which will be reimbursed).
(b) Town offices and officers.
(1) Fix the compensation of elective town offices...unless
delegated to town board..
The per diem for elected board members has been set at $50/day.
At the 2002 Annual Meeting the Citizens set the salary for Chair
at $1500 per year and at $1000 per year for Supervisors. These
amounts are in addition to the per diems and are effective for
terms starting after 4-9-02.
(2) Combine the offices of town clerk and town treasurer under
s. 60.305 (1)..
(2m) Appointment of clerk and treasurer.
The 1996 Special Town Meeting made the positions of clerk(6
months) and treasurer(1 year) appointive after the terms expired
in April 1997.
(3) Combine the Offices of town assessor and town clerk under s.
60.305 (2).
(4) Town Constable....
The position of town Constable was abolished by the 1994 Annual
Town Meeting.
(5) Designate the office of town clerk, town treasurer...as
part-time....
(6) Designate the town board as full-time officers.
(c) Election of Town Officers.
(1) Adopt a plan...to elect town board supervisors to numbered
seats (not wards). The Town has supervisors elected by numbered
seats.
(2) Provide...for the nomination of candidates for elective town
offices at a nonpartisan primary. The Town Meeting eliminated
the caucus system of nomination and the Town now uses primaries
if necessary.
(d) Public Waterways. ... money for the improvement and
maintenance of a public waterway....
(e) Cemeteries. Authorize the acquisition and conveyance of
cemeteries ... s. 157.50 (1) & (3).
(f) Administrator agreements. Approve agreements to employ an
administrator for more than 3 years under s. 60.37 (3) (d).
The Town Board's agreements with the Town Administrators have
been for one year at most.
(g) Hourly wage of certain employees. Establish the hourly wage
to be paid under s. 60.37 (4) to a town employee who is also an
elected officer, unless the authority has been delegated to the
town board under sub. (2)(L).
(2) Directives or Grants of Authority (limited or continuing)
to
Town Board.
By resolution, the town meeting may:
(a) Raise money. Authorize the town board to raise money,
including levying taxes....
(b) Membership of town board....direct the board to increase the
membership of the board....
The Town Board was authorized to increase the Board to five
members (1990).
(c) Exercise of village powers. Authorize the town board to
exercise powers of a village board under s. 60.22 (3). A
resolution under this paragraph is general and continuing.
The Town Board was given this continuing authority at the April
4, 1950 Annual Meeting.
(d) General obligation bonds. Authorize the town board to issue
general obligation bonds....
The Board was authorized by the Town Meeting to issues bonds for
the reconstruction of Airport Road and for the addition to the
Town Hall completed in 1998.
(e) Purchase of land....
The year 2003 Annual Meeting authorized the expenditure of
$21.33 to purchase Lot 17 of Cherrywood Acres. The year 2002
Annual Meeting authorized using grant money to purchase property
to be added to the Dane County Old Lake Middleton Park and to
use up to $600 to purchase tax deeds on two parcels from Dane
County. The year 2000 Annual meeting provided the Town Board
with a continuing authorization to acquire land that became the
Tallard conservancy. The December 13, 1999 Special Town Meeting
authorized the Town Board to purchase the Arthur Pope Farm (Land
Contract signed December 17, 1999). The 1997 Annual Town Meeting
authorized the purchase of land in Prairie Homes Estates to
create Settler's Prairie Park. The May 16, 1989 Special Town
Meeting authorized the purchase of land for the present Town
Hall and Park location.
(f) Town buildings....
Town Meetings authorized the Town Board to construct the present
salt shed (1994 Annual), the addition to the Town Hall (March 6,
1997 Special) and to build the present Town Hall (May 16, 1989).
(g) Disposal of property.
The year 2000 Annual Town Meeting renewed the continuing
authorization to the Town board to dispose of real property (
the Eastwood Farm, the land donated by Dr. Quisling and the
Arthur Pope Homestead (deleted from the Land Contract in
December 2000). Several prior annual meetings have provided the
continuing authorization to dispose of surplus equipment. The
1994 meeting authorized the disposal of the "well site" in the
City of Middleton).
(h) Exercise of certain zoning authority.
A motion to exercise zoning powers was tabled in 1990. The Town
is locked into County zoning. If these powers were to be
authorized, they could not be exercised unless there was a
comprehensive revision of the County Zoning Code.
(i) Watershed protection and soil and water conservation....
(j) Assessors. Authorize the town board to select assessors by
appointment under s. 60.307 (2).
The Annual Town Meeting authorized the Town Board to appoint the
assessor. Paul Musser has been re-appointed for 2004-5.
(k) Compensation of elective town officers. Authorize the town
board to fix the compensation of elective town offices under s.
60.32 (1) (b).
The only elective town offices remaining are those of the Board.
This power has not been delegated to the board.
(l) Hourly wage of certain employees. Authorize the town board
to establish the hourly wage to be paid under s. 60.37 (4) to a
town employee who is also an elected officer, other than a town
board supervisor.
(3) Authorization to the Town Board to Appropriate Money.
The
town meeting may authorize the town board to appropriate money
in the next annual budget:
(a) Conservation of natural resources....
(b) Civic functions....
(c) Insects, weeds and animal diseases....
(d) Rural numbering system....
(e) Cemetery improvements....
