2017 Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations
Chapter 197. Municipal acquisition of utilities.
197.04 Discontinuance of condemnation.
197.04 Discontinuance of condemnation.
(1)
(a) Any municipality having determined to acquire an existing plant or any part of the equipment of a public utility may discontinue all proceedings to that end at any time within 90 days after the final determination of compensation by the commission, by a vote of the electors of the municipality as provided in pars. (b) and (c), or by a resolution to that effect by its governing body. Except as provided in par. (c), the resolution shall become effective 90 days after its passage and publication.
(b) If within either of the 90-day periods described in par. (a) a petition conforming to the requirements of s. 8.40 is filed with the clerk of the municipality as provided in s. 8.37 and the petition has been signed by 5 percent of the electors of a 1st class city or by 10 percent of the electors of all other municipalities requesting that the question of discontinuing the proceeding to acquire the plant or equipment of the public utility be submitted to the electors of the municipality, the applicable question under par. (c) shall be submitted to the electors at any general or regular municipal election that is held not less than 70 and not more than 75 days from the date of the filing of the petition. If no general election or regular municipal election is to be held within the stated periods, the governing body of the municipality shall order the holding of a special election, to be held not less than 70 days from the date of filing of the petition, for the purpose of submitting the question to the electors.
(c)
1. If a petition is filed under par. (b) before the adoption of a resolution as described in par. (a), the question submitted to the electors shall be whether the proceedings to acquire an existing plant or any part of the equipment of a public utility shall be discontinued.
2. If a petition is filed under par. (b) after the adoption of a resolution as described in par. (a), the question submitted to the electors shall be whether the adoption of the resolution shall be ratified. A resolution adopted prior to the submission of a petition shall not become effective unless a majority of the electors voting on the question shall be in favor of the question.
(2) The governing body of the municipality may provide for notice of, the manner of holding, the method of voting on, the method of making returns of, and the method of canvassing and determining the result of, the election required under sub. (1). Notice of the election to the electors shall be given by a brief notice of that fact once a week for 3 weeks in some newspaper of general circulation published in the municipality. If no newspaper of general circulation is published in the municipality, publication may be made in any newspaper of general circulation in the county seat of the county in which the municipality is located. The notice of holding any special election shall be incorporated as a part of the notice given under this subsection.
(3) Upon discontinuance of the proceedings to acquire an existing plant or any part of the equipment of a public utility by the municipality no subsequent proceedings shall be instituted within 2 years thereafter.
