Wisconsin Code § 59.03

Home rule
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(1) ADMINISTRATIVE HOME RULE. Every
county may exercise any organizational or administrative power,
subject only to the constitution and to any enactment of the legislature which is of statewide concern and which uniformly affects
every county.
(2) CONSOLIDATION OF MUNICIPAL SERVICES, HOME RULE,
METROPOLITAN DISTRICT. (a) Subject to s. 59.794 (2) and (3)
and except as elsewhere specifically provided in these statutes,
the board of any county is vested with all powers of a local, legislative and administrative character, including without limitation
because of enumeration, the subject matter of water, sewers,
streets and highways, fire, police, and health, and to carry out
these powers in districts which it may create for different purposes, or throughout the county, and for such purposes to levy
county taxes, to issue bonds, assessment certificates and improvement bonds, or any other evidence of indebtedness. The
powers hereby conferred may be exercised by the board in any
municipality, or part thereof located in the county upon the request of any such municipality, evidenced by a resolution adopted
by a majority vote of the members-elect of its governing body,
designating the particular function, duty or act, and the terms, if
any, upon which the powers shall be exercised by the board or by
a similar resolution adopted by direct legislation in the municipality in the manner provided in s. 9.20. The resolution shall further provide whether the authority or function is to be exercised
exclusively by the county or jointly by the county and the municipality, and shall also find that the exercise of such power by the
county would be in the public interest. Upon the receipt of the
resolution, the board may, by a resolution adopted by a majority
vote of its membership, elect to assume the exercise of the function, upon the terms and conditions set forth in the resolution presented by the municipality.
(b) The board of any county may, by a resolution adopted by
a majority of its membership, propose to any of the municipalities located in the county that it offers to exercise such powers and
functions therein in order to consolidate municipal services and
functions in the county. Such resolution shall designate the particular function, duty or act and the terms and conditions, if any,
upon which the board will perform the function, duty or act. The
powers conferred in par. (a) and designated in such resolution
may thereafter be exercised by the board in each municipality
which accepts the proposal by the adoption of a resolution by a
majority vote of the members-elect of its governing body or by direct legislation in the manner provided in s. 9.20.
(c) Whenever the request under par. (a) or acceptance under
par. (b) of a municipality is by resolution of its governing board,
the request or acceptance shall not go into effect until the expiration of 60 days from the adoption of the resolution or, in the case
of county law enforcement services provided to a city as described in s. 62.13 (2s), as provided in s. 62.13 (2s) (d). If a petition under s. 9.20 for direct legislation on the request or acceptance is filed before the expiration of said 60 days, the resolution
of the governing board is of no effect but the request or acceptance of such municipality shall be determined by direct legislation, except that no petition for direct legislation under s. 9.20
may be filed to approve or reject a contract entered into by a city
and a county under s. 62.13 (2s).
(d) After and upon the adoption of resolutions by the board
and subject to par. (c) by one or more municipalities either as provided in par. (a) or (b) the board shall have full power to legislate
upon and administer the entire subject matter committed to it,
and among other things, to determine, where not otherwise provided by law, the manner of exercising the power thus assumed.
(e) The municipality concerned may enter into necessary contracts with the county, and appropriate money to pay to the
county the reasonable expenses incurred by it in rendering the
services assumed. Such expenses may be certified, returned and
paid as are other county charges, and in the case of services performed under a proposal for the consolidation thereof initiated by
the board and made available to each municipality in the county
on the same terms, the expenses thereof shall be certified, returned and paid as county charges; but in the event that every municipality in the county accepts the proposal of the board, the expenses thereof shall be paid by county taxes to be levied and collected as are other taxes for county purposes. The municipalities
are vested with all necessary power to do the things herein required, and to do all things and to exercise or relinquish any of the
powers herein provided or contemplated. The procedure provided in this subsection for the request or acceptance of the exercise of the powers conferred on the board in cities and villages is
hereby prescribed as a special method of determining the local affairs and government of such cities and villages under article XI,
section 3, of the constitution.
(f) The powers conferred by this subsection shall be in addition to all other grants of power and shall be limited only by express language.

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