62.08 Alteration of aldermanic districts.

(1) Within 60 days after the wards have been readjusted under s. 5.15 (1) and (2) the common council of every city, including every 1st class city, shall redistrict the boundaries of its aldermanic districts, by an ordinance introduced at a regular meeting of the council, published as a class 2 notice, under ch. 985, and thereafter adopted by a majority vote of all the members of the council, so that all aldermanic districts are as compact in area as possible and contain, as nearly as practicable by combining contiguous whole wards, an equal number of inhabitants according to the most recent decennial federal census of population. Territory within each aldermanic district to be created under the plan shall be contiguous, except that territory within the city that is wholly surrounded by another city or water, or both, may be combined with noncontiguous territory, or island territory, as defined in s. 5.15 (2) (f) 3., may be combined with noncontiguous territory within the same municipality to form an aldermanic district. The aldermanic district plan shall not include provision for division of any census block unless the block is bisected by a municipal boundary or the division is made as required under s. 5.15 (2) (c). The populations of the aldermanic districts shall be determined on the basis of the federal decennial census and any official corrections to the census to reflect the correct populations of the municipality and the blocks within the municipality on April 1 of the year of the census, if the corrections are issued prior to division of the municipality into wards under s. 5.15. Within 60 days after enactment or adoption of a revised division ordinance or resolution under s. 5.15 (4) (a), the common council shall amend the aldermanic district plan to reflect any renumbering of the wards specified in the plan.

(2) If territory becomes a part of any city after April 1 of the year of the federal decennial census, the limitations of s. 5.15 relating to population or area do not apply to the creation of new wards in the attached territory, or to the addition of the territory to an existing ward, but no ward line adjustment may cross the boundary of a congressional, assembly, or supervisory district.

(3) Whenever the boundaries of aldermanic districts are altered, or new aldermanic districts created, every aldermanic district or ward officer residing within the territory of a new or altered aldermanic district shall hold the same respective office therein for the remainder of the officer's term; and all other vacancies shall be filled as provided by law for the filling of such vacancies.

(4) The common council of any city may, by a two-thirds vote of all its members but not more frequently than once in 2 years, increase or decrease the number of aldermanic districts or the number of members of the city council, and in that case shall redistrict, readjust and change the boundaries of aldermanic districts, so that they are as nearly equal in population according to the most recent city-wide federal census as practicable by combining contiguous whole wards. In redistricting such cities the original numbers of the aldermanic districts in their geographic outlines shall as far as possible be retained, and the aldermanic districts so created and those the boundaries of which are changed shall be in as compact form as possible. This subsection does not apply to changes in aldermanic districts authorized under sub. (4m).

(4m) If in a city that is solely contained within one county the aldermanic districts are coterminous with the supervisory districts of the county and the county board decreases the number of supervisors in the county after enactment of a redistricting plan under s. 59.10 (3) (cm), the common council of the city may, by a majority vote of all of the members of the council, no later than November 15 immediately preceding the expiration of the terms of office of members of the council, decrease the number of aldermanic districts and the corresponding number of members of the council in the city to maintain coterminous boundaries between the aldermanic and supervisory districts and may change the expiration date of the term of any council member to an earlier date than the date provided under the current ordinance if required to implement the redistricting or to maintain classes of members. Any amended aldermanic district plan that is adopted under this subsection is subject to the same procedures and requirements that apply to decennial plans adopted under sub. (1).

(5) If a city fails to comply with sub. (1), any elector of the city may submit to the circuit court for any county in which the city is located within 14 days from the expiration of the 60-day period under sub. (1) a proposed plan for creation of aldermanic districts in compliance with this section. If the court finds that the existing division of the city into aldermanic districts fails to comply with this section, it shall review the plan submitted by the petitioner and after reasonable notice to the city may promulgate the plan, or any other plan in compliance with this section, as a temporary aldermanic district plan until superseded by a districting plan adopted by the council in compliance with this section.

History: 1971 c. 304, 336; 1973 c. 12; 1979 c. 260; 1981 c. 4; 1985 a. 304; 1991 a. 316; 2005 a. 100; 2011 a. 39.