62.18 Sewers.

(1) Cities may construct. Cities shall have power to construct systems of sewerage, including a sewage disposal plant and all other appurtenances thereto, to make additions, alterations and repairs to such systems and plants, and when necessary abandon any existing system and build a new system, and to provide for the payment of the same by the city, by sewerage districts or by abutting property owners or by any combination of these methods. Whenever the council shall determine to lay sewers or provide sewerage in any portion of the city it shall so order by resolution which shall describe with reasonable particularity the district to be sewered. Whenever the territory of any city of this state shall be adjacent to or border on the territory of any other state, such city shall have power to build or construct a sewage disposal plant in such adjacent state, either alone for its sole use or jointly with some city or municipality in such adjacent state for their joint use on terms to be agreed upon by such municipalities. And if either city or municipality shall build or construct a sewage disposal plant, the city in this state may contract with the other city or municipality for its joint use on terms to be agreed upon.

(13) Sewers, where laid. Any contractor or other person acting under the direction of the board of public works may lay sewers in and through any alleys and streets, and through any breakwater into any lake and also in any highways of the county, whether within the limits of said city or not; such contractor shall repair such streets, alleys, breakwaters and highways and restore the same to their former condition upon the completion of such sewers.

(16) Special sewer district tax.

(a) Any city may levy a special tax for the extension or improvement of the sewer system of its sewer district.

(b)

1. In this paragraph:

a. “Company" has the meaning given in s. 76.02.

b. “Operating real property" does not include poles, towers, wires, equipment, mains, lines, tracks and other service structures located within the limits of public highways or constructed and maintained on private rights-of-way, and conduits, cables, devices, equipment and other facilities located upon or in the operating real property.

2. The tax under par. (a) is declared to be a special tax for local improvement, as defined in s. 76.23. When any company owns operating real property within a sewer district described in par. (a), the assessor in the sewer district shall determine the value of the operating real property of all companies located within the district. The value of the operating real property shall be determined on the same basis as is the value of other real property subject to the special tax. The valuation of the operating real property shall be placed upon the tax roll for the purposes of the special tax only. The tax so assessed to the companies owning operating real property within the district shall be collected as other special sewer district taxes of the district are collected.

History: 1985 a. 29; 1993 a. 490; 1995 a. 225.