73.10 Municipal finance.

(1) In this section “department" means the department of revenue.

(2)

(a)

1. The department shall collect annually from all town, city, village, county, and other public officers all of following:

a. Information regarding the collection of taxes, receipts from licenses, and other sources.

b. Information regarding the expenditure of public funds for all purposes.

c. Any other information that is considered necessary by the department.

2. Information collected under subd. 1. shall be on forms prescribed by the department that include any requirements under par. (b). All public officers requested to provide information under subd. 1. shall properly complete and promptly return to the department all forms transmitted to them by the department.

3. The department shall examine all town, village, city, county, and other public records that the department considers necessary. The department shall publish annually the information collected under this paragraph, with any compilations, analyses, or recommendations that the department determines are necessary. The department shall disseminate information concerning local government accounting, auditing, and fiscal matters.

(b)

1. The department may require by rule all of the following:

a. That the information it needs under par. (a) be submitted as annual financial statements, notes to the financial statements, and supporting schedules.

b. That the statements, notes, and schedules under subd. 1. a. conform to generally accepted accounting principles promulgated by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board or its successor bodies.

c. That the statements, notes, and schedules under subd. 1. a. be audited in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards.

2. Notwithstanding s. 227.01 (13) (j), a rule promulgated under this paragraph is subject to the requirements of ch. 227.

(c) Beginning in 2021, each municipality that is eligible to receive a payment under s. 79.097 shall submit with the information required under pars. (a) and (b) the actual annual revenues received under s. 66.0420 (7).

(3) The department may inspect and examine or cause an inspection and examination of the records of any town, city, village, county or other public officer whenever such officer fails or neglects to return properly the information required by sub. (2) within the time specified under s. 86.303 (5) (c), (d) or (g).

(4) The officers responsible for the furnishing of information collected pursuant to this section shall be jointly and severally liable for any loss the town, city, village, county or other local public body, board, commission or agency suffers through their delinquency; and no payment shall be made them for salary, or on any other accounts, until the total amount of charges for such inspection and examination as provided in sub. (6) has been paid into the treasury of the regular county or other local public body, board, commission or agency.

(5) The department may inquire into the system of accounting of public funds in use by towns, villages, cities, counties and all other local public bodies, boards, commissions, departments or agencies except technical college districts and school districts; devise a system of accounts which is as nearly uniform as practicable; and audit the books of the town, village, city, county or other local public body, board, commission, department or agency, or any municipal electric utility upon its own motion.

(6) The department may establish a scale of charges for audits, inspections, and other services rendered by the department in connection with financial records or procedures of towns, villages, cities, counties, and all other local public bodies, boards, commissions, departments, or agencies. Upon the completion of such work or, at the department's discretion, during work in progress, the department shall transmit to the clerk of the town, village, city, county, or other local public body, board, commission, department, or agency a statement of such charges. Duplicates of the statements shall be filed in the office of the secretary of administration. Within 60 days after the receipt of the above statement of charges, it shall be audited as other claims against towns, villages, cities, counties, and other local public bodies, boards, commissions, departments, or agencies are audited, and it shall be paid into the state treasury and credited to the appropriation under s. 20.566 (2) (gi). Past due accounts of towns, villages, cities, counties, and all other local public bodies, boards, commissions, departments, or agencies shall be certified on or before the 4th Monday of August of each year and included in the next apportionment of state special charges to local units of government.

History: 1971 c. 108 ss. 1, 4, 6; 1971 c. 125 ss. 36, 394; 1971 c. 154 s. 1; 1971 c. 211 ss. 85, 86; 1973 c. 90; 1973 c. 243 s. 82; 1975 c. 224; 1977 c. 29, 418; 1981 c. 20, 237; 1983 a. 27; 1983 a. 192 s. 303 (7); 1985 a. 29; 1985 a. 182 s. 57; 1985 a. 225; 1987 a. 399; 1991 a. 39; 1993 a. 399; 2001 a. 107; 2003 a. 33; 2005 a. 149; 2019 a. 9.