Chapter 59

59.792(1) (1) In this section:

59.792(1)(a) (a) “County” means a county with a population of 750,000 or more.

59.792(1)(b) (b) “Waste” includes, without limitation because of enumeration, garbage, ashes, municipal, domestic, industrial and commercial rubbish, waste or refuse material.

59.792(2) (2) The county’s board may provide for the transmission and disposal of sewage from any county buildings. The county shall annually pay to the municipality in which the buildings are situated its proportion of the expense of the transmission and disposal of the sewage by the municipality, as certified under s. 200.55 (5). The county’s proportionate expense shall be determined by the ratio that the amount of sewage contributed by any county buildings bears to the total amount of sewage contributed by the municipality to the sewage system. Each municipality in which county buildings are located, if payment is to be made, shall provide and furnish meters to determine the amount of sewage so contributed. This subsection shall not apply to user charges billed to the county under s. 200.59.

59.792(3) (3) 

59.792(3)(a) (a) The county’s board may do any of the following:

59.792(3)(a)1. 1. Engage in the function of the destruction or disposal of waste by providing dumpage facilities.

59.792(3)(a)2. 2. Acquire lands by purchase, lease, donation or right of eminent domain within the county and use the lands as dumpage sites for depositing, salvaging, processing, burning or otherwise disposing of waste.

59.792(3)(a)3. 3. Acquire land by purchase, lease or donation outside the county for purposes described in subd. 2. where state and local regulations permit.

59.792(3)(a)4. 4. Construct and equip incinerators and other structures to be used for disposal of waste.

59.792(3)(a)5. 5. Maintain, control and operate dumpage sites.

59.792(3)(a)6. 6. Maintain, control and operate incinerators for burning waste.

59.792(3)(a)7. 7. Utilize or dispose of by sale or otherwise heat or power reclaimed from incinerator facilities.

59.792(3)(a)8. 8. Sell all salvageable waste materials and by-products.

59.792(3)(a)9. 9. Levy a tax to create a working capital fund to maintain and operate dumpage facilities, construct, equip and operate incinerators and other structures for disposal of wastes.

59.792(3)(a)10. 10. Charge or assess reasonable fees to persons making use of such sites, incinerators or other structures for the disposal of waste.

59.792(3)(a)11. 11. Make charges approximately commensurate with the cost of services rendered to any municipality using the county waste disposal facilities.

59.792(3)(a)12. 12. Authorize payment to any municipality, in which county waste disposal facilities, including incinerators, are located, to cover the reasonable cost of fire fighting services rendered to the county when fire fighting service is required.

59.792(3)(a)13. 13. Contract with private collectors and municipalities and transporters to receive and dispose of waste other than garbage at dumpage and incinerator sites.

59.792(3)(a)14. 14. Levy taxes to provide funds to acquire sites and to construct and equip incinerators and other structures for disposal of wastes.

59.792(3)(a)15. 15. Enact and enforce ordinances, and adopt and enforce rules and regulations, necessary for the orderly conduct of providing dumpage facilities and services and provide forfeitures for the violation thereof.

59.792(3)(b) (b) The charges for waste disposal services shall be determined by the board and shall include a reasonable charge for depreciation. In the determination of the charges the board shall give full consideration to any fees directly collected for the service. Waste disposal charges shall be apportioned under s. 70.63 to the respective municipalities receiving the service. The depreciation charges shall create a reserve for future capital outlays for waste disposal facilities.

59.792(3)(c) (c) Before acquiring any site in the county to be used for dumping or the erection of an incinerator or other structure for the disposal of waste, a public hearing shall be held in the county following notice of hearing by publication as a class 3 notice, under ch. 985.

59.792(3)(d) (d) The powers conferred by this subsection are declared to be necessary to the preservation of the public health, welfare and convenience of the county.

59.792 History History: 1999 a. 83; 1999 a. 150 s. 672; 2017 a. 207 s. 5.

59.794 59.794 Milwaukee County; limitations on board authority and on intergovernmental cooperation, shared services.

59.794(1) (1) Definitions. In this section:

59.794(1)(a) (a) “Agreement” means an intergovernmental cooperation agreement under s. 66.0301, or a contract to provide consolidated services under s. 59.03 (2) (e), entered into by a county and another local governmental unit that is located wholly within that county.

59.794(1)(b) (b) “Board” means the board of a county.

59.794(1)(c) (c) “County” means a county with a population of 750,000 or more.

59.794(1)(d) (d) “Executive council” means a body that consists of the mayor of a 1st class city, and the elected executive officer of every city and village that is wholly located within the county and who is also a member of the executive council as described in s. 200.23 (2) (b).

59.794(1)(e) (e) “Local governmental unit” has the meaning given in s. 66.0131 (1) (a).

59.794(2) (2) Limitation on agreements.

59.794(2)(a) (a) Subject to par. (b), before an agreement may take effect and become binding on a county, it must be approved by the executive council. If the county enters into an agreement, the executive council shall meet as soon as practicable to vote on the agreement.

59.794(2)(b) (b) With regard to an intergovernmental cooperation agreement under s. 66.0301, the requirements under par. (a) apply only to any single contract, or group of contracts between the same parties which generally relate to the same transaction, with a value or aggregate value of more than $300,000.

59.794(3) (3) Limitations on board authority.

59.794(3)(a) (a) Notwithstanding the provisions of s. 59.51, the board may not exercise day-to-day control of any county department or subunit of a department. Such control may be exercised only by the county executive as described in s. 59.17.

59.794(3)(b) (b) A board may require, as necessary, the attendance of any county employee or officer at a board meeting to provide information and answer questions. Except as provided in par. (d), for the purpose of inquiry, or to refer a specific constituent concern, the board and its members may deal with county departments and subunits of departments solely through the county executive, and no supervisor may give instructions or orders to any subordinate of the county executive that would conflict with this section.

59.794(3)(c) (c) The board may not create any county department or subunit of a department, except as provided in s. 59.17 (2) (b) 2.

59.794(3)(d) (d) The board may use the legal services of the corporation counsel under s. 59.42 (2).

59.794(3)(e) (e) The board may not terminate, lower the salary or benefits of, or eliminate the position of, any county employee who works in the office of the county executive unless a similar change is made which affects county employees, on a countywide basis, in all other county departments. This paragraph does not apply after the county board supervisors who are elected in the 2016 spring election take office.

59.794 History History: 2013 a. 14.

59.794 Annotation The verbs “provide, fix, or change” under s. 59.22 (2) (c) 1. a. establish a broad power for county boards to determine compensation levels for all unclassified county positions. However, under s. 59.22 (2) (a), the power is controlled by the power of the Milwaukee County Executive under sub. (3) to exercise day-to-day control of any county department or subunit of a department. In other words, the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors can provide, fix, or change the pay of unclassified employees, unless and until board action interferes with the Milwaukee County Executive’s day-to-day control of a county department or subunit. Lipscomb v. Abele, 2018 WI App 58, 384 Wis. 2d 1, 918 N.W.2d 434, 17-1023.

59.794 Annotation The Milwaukee County Executive’s day-to-day control power under sub. (3) (a) has the express intent of removing and clarifying some authority of the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors (Board) under s. 59.22 (2) and increasing and clarifying the authority of the Milwaukee County Executive. The Milwaukee County Executive’s day-to-day control power prevents the Board from taking actions that effectively direct what duties may or must be accomplished by employees or officers or how they may or must perform those duties, even when a Board action may result in a compensation change. Lipscomb v. Abele, 2018 WI App 58, 384 Wis. 2d 1, 918 N.W.2d 434, 17-1023.

59.794 Annotation The Milwaukee County Executive is included in the definition of any “officer” whose appearance the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors may require under sub. (3) (b) to provide information and answer questions. The board as a whole may require an appearance under sub. (3) (b), not a board committee or other subset of board supervisors. Lipscomb v. Abele, 2018 WI App 58, 384 Wis. 2d 1, 918 N.W.2d 434, 17-1023.

59.796 59.796 Milwaukee County; opportunity schools and partnership program. Notwithstanding s. 59.81, the board of any county with a population of 750,000 or more may not have access to or exercise oversight of any private gifts and grants received by the county executive under s. 59.17 (2) (b) 7.

59.796 History History: 2015 a. 55.

59.80 59.80 Milwaukee County; city-county crime commission. The board of any county with a population of 750,000 or more or the common council of any 1st class city however organized in such county may appropriate money to defray in whole or in part the expenses of a city-county crime commission organized and functioning to determine methods of crime prevention in such county. All items of expense paid out of such appropriation shall be presented and paid on board vouchers as are claims against counties.

59.80 History History: 1995 a. 201 s. 167; 2017 a. 207 s. 5.

59.81 59.81 Cash flow, Milwaukee. In counties having a population of 750,000 or more, the treasurer may be designated as the custodian for all cash received in an escrow, trust, bailment or safekeeping capacity by any other department of the county. This section is not applicable to the clerk of circuit court or any other depository specifically designated by a court of law or by a donor or other bailor even if the other depository retains control over such funds and the ultimate disposition. The treasurer may commingle this cash with general revenue cash and subject these funds to a common investment policy. Any interest earned on such investment reverts to the general fund of the county.

59.81 History History: 1975 c. 41; 1995 a. 201 s. 271; Stats. 1995 s. 59.81; 2017 a. 207 s. 5.

59.82 59.82 Milwaukee County Research and Technology Park.

59.82(1) (1) Counties with a population of 750,000 or more may participate in the development of a research and technology park under sub. (2) if all of the following apply:

59.82(1)(a) (a) A nonstock corporation is organized under ch. 181, and that corporation is a nonprofit corporation as defined in s. 181.0103 (17), organized for the sole purpose of developing a research and technology park under sub. (2).

59.82(1)(b) (b) The research and technology park is located on land designated by the board for that purpose and owned by the county.

59.82(1)(c) (c) The board determines that participation is for a public purpose and that participation will benefit the Milwaukee regional medical center, Milwaukee County and this state.

59.82(2) (2) A county may participate with the nonstock, nonprofit corporation under sub. (1) (a) in the development of a research and technology park by doing any of the following on terms approved by the board:

59.82(2)(a) (a) Leasing or otherwise making available to the nonprofit corporation property for a research and technology park.

59.82(2)(b) (b) Making grants or loans to the nonprofit corporation for the operations of the nonprofit corporation and for the development of a research and technology park.

59.82(2)(c) (c) Borrowing money to be used for the development of a research and technology park and by issuing notes, bonds or other evidence of indebtedness for this purpose.

59.82(2)(d) (d) Entering into contracts or exercising any other authority that is necessary for the development of a research and technology park.

59.82(3) (3) Officers, officials and employees of the county may be members of the board of directors of the nonstock, nonprofit corporation under sub. (1) (a) but may not receive compensation for serving as a member of the board.

59.82(4) (4) The nonstock, nonprofit corporation under sub. (1) (a) shall give a 45-day written notice to a municipality that is located in the county whenever the nonprofit corporation intends to enter into a transaction that entails moving a research or technology business or facility from the municipality to the research and technology park.

59.82 History History: 1995 a. 201 s. 230; 1997 a. 79; 2017 a. 207 s. 5.

59.84 59.84 Expressways and mass transit facilities in populous counties.

59.84(1) (1) Definitions. In this section, unless the context indicates otherwise:

59.84(1)(a) (a) “Board” means the county board of supervisors in any county with a population of 750,000 or more.

59.84(1)(b) (b) “Expressway” means a divided arterial highway for through traffic with full or partial control of access and, generally, with grade separations at intersections.

59.84(1)(bm) (bm) “Full control of access” means that the authority to control access is exercised to give preference to through traffic by providing access connections with selected public roads only and by prohibiting crossings at grade or direct private driveway connections.

59.84(1)(c) (c) “Expressway project” means an integral portion of the expressway that may be put to public use independently of other expressway projects.

59.84(1)(d) (d) “Expressway project budget” means the plan of financial operation embodying an estimate of proposed expenditures for an expressway project and the proposed means of financing them.

59.84(1)(e) (e) “Mass transit” includes, without limitation because of enumeration, exclusive or preferential bus lanes if those lanes are limited to abandoned railroad rights-of-way or existing expressways constructed before May 17, 1978, highway control devices, bus passenger loading areas and terminal facilities, including shelters, and fringe and corridor parking facilities to serve bus and other public mass transportation passengers, together with the acquisition, construction, reconstruction and maintenance of lands and facilities for the development, improvement and use of public mass transportation systems for the transportation of passengers.

59.84(1)(em) (em) “Partial control of access” means that the authority to control access is exercised to give preference to through traffic to a degree that, in addition to access connections with selected public roads, there may be some crossings at grade and some private driveway connections.

59.84(1)(f) (f) “Prior expressway project expenditures” means obligations incurred and expenditures financed from funds obtained from local tax levy sources, or from the proceeds of the sale of bonds, by a municipality in the county for the acquisition and clearing of the right-of-way and construction of expressway projects which are incomplete and have not been substantially put to public use at the time the county expressway commission was created and the transfer of the function to the commission was effectuated under s. 59.965, 1977 stats., together with any funds so financed in the state treasury under control of the department of transportation to the credit of an expressway project, any funds which the municipality, subsequent to the creation of the county expressway commission under s. 59.965, 1977 stats., and prior to May 17, 1980, transmitted to the department of transportation for credit to an expressway project that is authorized by the county expressway commission and any funds which the municipality may, subsequent to May 17, 1980, transmit to the department of transportation for credit to an expressway project authorized by the board.

59.84(2) (2) Powers and duties. The board is charged with the duty and vested with all powers necessary to plan, acquire the right-of-way for and construct an expressway system and mass transit facilities in the county and to administer each expressway and mass transit project until it is certified as completed; to coordinate planning of expressways and mass transit facilities by other public agencies to the extent required to ensure that an acceptable general plan of expressways and mass transit facilities to serve the entire county will be achieved; to determine whether full control of access or partial control of access shall be exercised; to cooperate with public and private agencies in mass transit and expressway applications; including, without limitation because of enumeration, the power to contract and the following powers and duties:

59.84(2)(a) (a) Plans for expressways. The board shall consider and tentatively adopt a general plan of expressways to serve the entire county. The plan shall be presented to the governing body of each municipality through which a part of the expressway system is routed for its consideration and approval. The board may by formal action modify the general plan to meet objections raised by the governing body of any municipality through which a route of the expressway passes. If the approval of the governing body is not granted within 60 days from the date of submission, the board shall present the general plan to the department of transportation, which shall hold a public hearing on that part of the plan which is located in such municipality. After the hearing, the department of transportation shall make recommendations to the board with reference to the matters objected to by the municipal governing body. Thereafter the board shall incorporate the recommendations in its general plan. When the approval of the necessary local governing bodies has been obtained or the recommendation of the department of transportation has been obtained in lieu thereof, the general plan shall be finally adopted by the board. Thereafter, the board may amend the general plan as it considers proper.

59.84(2)(b) (b) Procedure upon adoption of plan. The board shall adopt tentative expressway project budgets for the units of the comprehensive plan adopted under par. (a) and in order of construction as the board considers proper. Each budget shall give reasonably detailed estimates of expenditures required to complete the expressway project and shall also give an estimate of the state and federal aid which will become available for the project. The board shall determine the amount of the county’s share of the cost of the project and the financing thereof, either from the authorization of county expressway bonds under s. 67.04, or by determining the amounts to be included in the budgets during the construction years, or by transfer from unappropriated surplus under s. 59.60 (5), or by any combination of the foregoing. When the board determines that county funds for an expressway project shall be financed in whole or in part from current budgets, the county auditor shall include such amounts in the proper proposed budget under s. 59.60 (5). The board shall adopt expressway project budgets with such changes as it considers proper. When adopted, the county contribution to the expressway project shall constitute a legal appropriation and shall be expendable to the extent that expressway bonds have been authorized or money otherwise provided. The board may amend any expressway project budget and may transfer appropriations from one expressway project to another.

59.84(2)(c) (c) Acceptance of gifts. The board may accept grants, conveyances and devises of land, improvements thereon and all interests whatsoever therein and bequests and donations of money to be used for expressway purposes.

59.84(2)(d) (d) Acquisition of lands and interests therein.

59.84(2)(d)1. 1. The board may acquire in the name of the county or in the name of the state when so directed by the department of transportation, by donation, purchase, condemnation or otherwise, such lands, including any improvements on the lands, and any interests, easements, franchises, rights and privileges in or pertaining to lands, of whatever nature and by whomsoever owned, as the board considers necessary and required for expressway purposes, and to dispose of such lands. The board may use expressway lands for the location or relocation of any facility for mass transportation, including private or public utilities. The board may purchase or accept donation of remnants of tracts or parcels of land remaining at the time or after it has acquired by condemnation or after or coincident with its acquisition by purchase or donation portions of such tracts or parcels for expressway purposes where in the judgment of the board such action would assist in rendering just compensation to a landowner, a part of whose lands are required for expressway purposes, and would serve to minimize the overall cost of such necessary taking by the public. The county may dispose of such remnants. No lands or interest in lands that are acquired as provided in this paragraph shall be disposed of by the county without the consent of the board, and all money that is received for any such lands, improvements or interests in land, so disposed of, shall be credited to the land acquisition account as an abatement of expense. No lands acquired by the board, as provided in this subsection, in the name of or in trust for the state, shall be disposed of by the county without prior approval of the state, and the proceeds of the sale shall be remitted to the state or retained and used for expressway purposes when so directed by the department of transportation.

59.84(2)(d)2. 2. After the general plan of expressways has been adopted, the board may, for specific approved highway projects or otherwise, acquire lands and interests therein of the nature and in the manner specified in this paragraph for the right-of-way of the expressways in advance of the time of the adoption of an expressway project budget including the lands and interests. Such power may be exercised when in the judgment of the board the public interest will be served and economy effected by forestalling development of the lands which will entail greater acquisition costs if acquired at a later date. Upon such acquisition the board may improve, use, maintain or lease the lands until the same are required for expressway construction. It is recognized that there may necessarily be a period of time between the acquisition of needed lands for right-of-way and the commencement of actual site clearance and construction, but such fact shall not minimize the public purpose of the acquisition. The owners of the lands at the time of the acquisition shall have the first right to enter into leases thereof with the county until the lands are needed for expressway construction. Lands so leased for more than one year shall be subject to general property taxation during the term of the lease. All rentals shall be credited to the project or to the expressway land acquisition account. The board may provide out of funds acquired by bond issue or otherwise a land acquisition fund not in excess of $5,000,000 of expendable funds at any one time, to be used primarily for the acquisition of lands, improvements thereon and interests therein as specified in this subsection prior to the approval of the specific expressway project for which the lands or interests will be required. The fund shall be adjusted to reflect acquisition costs for lands and interests therein thereafter incorporated in specific approved expressway projects by transferring both the appropriations and the acquisition costs therefor to the proper expressway improvement expenditures account.

59.84(2)(d)3. 3. When an expressways project for which lands, improvements thereon and all interests therein have been paid for from any expressway land acquisition fund or account becomes activated by the board, the department of transportation may reimburse the expressway land acquisition fund by allocation of funds which may be made available under any state or federal statute to reimburse prior disbursements from the land acquisition fund to acquire the lands, improvements thereon or interests therein or appurtenant thereto. All state or federal funds thus received shall be used for expressway purposes.

59.84(2)(d)4. 4. The board, in acquiring lands, improvements on lands and interests in lands and appurtenant to lands, as provided in this subsection, may acquire the lands in fee simple or by easement for highway purposes as it may by order determine. In any such acquisition, the board may, and shall when requested by the department of transportation, act in the name of the state as the agent of the department of transportation and in other cases shall act in the name of the county. The board in making the acquisition may proceed under ch. 32.

59.84(2)(d)5. 5. Whenever, before actual expressway project construction, a saving is shown to be probable in the cost of constructing a proposed new municipal or privately owned public utility, which, if presently installed in a public way in a proposed normal manner, would ultimately be interfered with by expressway construction, by initially constructing the municipal or privately owned public utility in other than a normal manner to accommodate future expressway construction, in order to effect savings by avoiding reconstruction and relocating at a later date, the board may contract with the municipal government or utility company involved for the construction of the public utility in other than normal manner and to pay to the municipal government or utility company the portion of the cost of the special construction in excess of the cost if constructed in the proposed normal manner, the funds for which may be taken from the land acquisition fund authorized in subd. 2.

59.84(2)(d)6. 6. When the board has acquired title to lands in fee either for the county or the state, the county or a person authorized by the county may use and develop any portion of the lands not directly needed for expressway-roadway purposes and which do not interfere with the primary expressway purpose, and without limitation because of enumeration may use the subsoil beneath the ground, the ground level area or air space above the ground, for parking, storage or building purposes subject to municipal land use zoning regulations except as to parking, but if the expressway right-of-way area is either on the federal interstate system or on a state trunk highway, the county shall obtain the consent of the department of transportation to the development and use prior to construction or initiation of that use. The state shall receive a share of the rentals or sale price derived from the use in the proportion that the amount of federal or state funds used in the purchase of the site bears to the total cost of the land and improvement which is the subject of the sale or rental. Such sharing shall not be made until the county or the person authorized by the county has been reimbursed for all sums expended by it, in the developments referred to in this paragraph, and such sharing shall terminate when the fair proportion of the federal and state funds allocable to the purchase of the area so developed has been reimbursed. In lieu of sharing in the proportion of the amount of federal or state funds used in the purchase of the site to the total cost of the land and improvement which is the subject of the sale or rental, the state and the county or the person authorized by the county may share the rentals or sale price on the basis of a different formula for such sharing if the department of transportation and the county agree to a different formula.

59.84(2)(d)7. 7. Before the county authorizes any person to use or develop lands under subd. 6., the county shall make a reasonable effort to determine whether any institution of higher education in the vicinity of the lands has demonstrated to the county an interest in the use or development of the lands. The county shall give preference to proposals for the use or development of lands under subd. 6. which are submitted by an institution of higher education in the vicinity of those lands and which provide for reasonable payment to the county under a lease of or other authority to use or develop those lands.

59.84(2)(e) (e) Contracts. The board may construct and administer projects under its jurisdiction, and may contract in the name of the county with the department of transportation as may be necessary under state and federal statutes to secure state and federal aid on expressway projects.

59.84(2)(f) (f) Vacation, relocation, reconstruction of streets, alleys, etc.

59.84(2)(f)1. 1. Whenever the board determines that it is necessary for the proper construction of an expressway project that streets or alleys be vacated in whole or in part, or be dead-ended at the expressway right-of-way line; that existing streets or alleys be relocated; that new streets or alleys be laid out and opened; that accessory streets or ramps to serve as approaches to the expressway be constructed; that existing streets leading to or from expressway ramps be designated as one-way streets for such reasonable distance as is necessary for the proper operation of the facility; that the grade of existing streets be changed or that the traveled portion of existing streets be widened and improved so as to facilitate entrance to the expressway, it shall formulate a tentative order evidencing such requirement and file a certified copy thereof with the municipal clerk of each municipality affected by the tentative order for consideration thereof by the governing body of the municipality.