61.187 Dissolution.

(1) Procedure. Whenever a petition conforming to the requirements of s. 8.40, signed by at least one-third as many electors of any village as voted for village officers at the next preceding election for village officers in that village, shall be presented to the village board, and filed as provided in s. 8.37, praying for dissolution of the village, the village board shall submit to the electors of the village the question whether or not the village shall be dissolved. The question shall be determined by ballot, in substantially the manner provided by ss. 5.64 (2) and 10.02, at a general election or at a special election called by the village board for that purpose.

(2) Date of; property; claims; territory.

(a) Subject to par. (c), if two-thirds of the ballots cast at the election under sub. (1) are in favor of dissolution, the village shall, at the expiration of 6 months from the date of the election, cease to be a village.

(c) The territory included within the village at the time of its dissolution shall revert to and become a part of the town or towns from which it was taken or in which it is then located, except that if the town or towns from which all of the village territory was taken is no longer in existence, the village may not dissolve. The assets and liabilities of the village shall be apportioned under s. 66.0235 and, in accordance with that section, all assets and liabilities of the village shall become the assets and liabilities of the town or towns to which the village territory reverts.

(d) If, in accordance with par. (a), the results of the election under sub. (1) provide for dissolution, the village clerk shall, within 10 days after the election, record the petition and determination of the village board of canvassers in the office of the register of deeds of the county or counties in which the village is located and file with the secretary of administration certified copies of the petition and the determination of inspectors of election. The village clerk shall also record in the office of the register of deeds a certificate by the village clerk showing the date on which the dissolution takes effect and file with the secretary of administration 4 copies of the certificate. These documents shall be recorded and indexed by the register of deeds. The index shall include the document number of the original documents and, if given on the original documents, the volume or reel and the page or image number where the original documents are filed or recorded. The secretary of administration shall forward 2 copies of the certificate to the department of transportation and one to the department of revenue.

History: 1977 c. 29 s. 1654 (8) (c); 1977 c. 273; 1989 a. 192; 1993 a. 301; 1999 a. 182; 2001 a. 107; 2005 a. 391; 2015 a. 55; 2017 a. 102.