Call Monday or Tuesday!

Every Call Matters - Take 10 MINUTES and tell members of Senate Committee on Transportation and Local Government that you SUPPORT SB691 and your Town has been affected by Extraterritorial Jurisdiction and Annexation by the cities of Altoona and Eau Claire and this bill is needed for the good of the Town of Washington and the greater community. 

Committee Hearing is Wednesday.  Committee Members:

Senator Tomczyk (Chair)  (608) 266-2502

Senator Cowles (Vice-Chair)  (608) 266-0484

Senator Hutton  (608) 266-2512

Senator Carpenter  (608) 266-8535

Senator Pfaff  (608) 266-5490

 

Folks, it is time for needed fairness and to change the law! 

Senate Bill 691 (SB691) allows certain towns to designate themselves as "urban towns", a designation that would limit the effect of extraterritorial zoning and plat approval and annexation by other municipalities. The Town of Washington would qualify for this designation and the protections this bill provides.

Under the bill...
1.  An urban town is not subject to extraterritorial zoning or plat review by a neighboring city. 
As an example, the City of Eau Claire can regulate any land division of town property owner's land within 3 miles of the city limits and the City of Altoona within 1.5 miles of the city limits which is also known as a city's extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ). Given this, the city can placehold larger tracts of land within the ETJ for city expansion. In other words, if you have property within the ETJ, a city can deny your desired land division in the town without recourse. You are subject to city regulation without representation.   

2.  Certain developed territory of an urban town may not be annexed to a city except by the unanimous approval of every landowner wanting to be annexed; no one-half approval annexations that subjects town landowners to undesired annexation of their land or the use of government, public, or railroad lands to make connections to areas sought for annexation. As examples, one-half approval annexations have taken place in the Town on CTH KB to CTH SS, Lowes Creek Park to Mischler Rd, and USH12.