Wis. Stat. § 65.90 — WI Code / Chapter 65 / Section 65.90
Municipal budgets.
Status: in_force

(1) Unless otherwise provided, in this section, “municipality” means each county other than counties having a population of 750,000 or more, each city, excepting cities of the 1st class, village, town, school district, technical college district and all other public bodies that have the power to levy or certify a general property tax or budget. Except as provided in sub. (1m) , every municipality shall annually, prior to the determination of the sum to be financed in whole or in part by a general property tax, funds on hand or estimated revenues from any source, formulate a budget and hold public hearings thereon.

(1m)

(am) For purposes of adopting and implementing a biennial budget as described in this subsection, “municipality” means a county other than a county having a population of 750,000 or more; a city other than a city of the 1st class; a village; or a town.

(b) A municipality may adopt a biennial budget by implementing the procedures under this subsection and using the procedures under this section. If a municipality chooses to adopt a biennial budget, it shall adopt such a budget in an odd-numbered year for the next 2 fiscal years that follow immediately the year in which the budget is adopted.

(c) For any municipality to proceed under this subsection, the governing body of the municipality shall adopt a resolution or enact an ordinance stating its intent to adopt a biennial budget. Once a resolution is adopted or an ordinance is enacted, such an action takes effect and may not be reconsidered or repealed, except as provided in par. (d) .

(d) The governing body of a municipality that has adopted a biennial budget procedure as provided in this subsection may return to the use of an annual budget procedure if the governing body, by a two-thirds majority vote, adopts a resolution or enacts an ordinance stating its intent to adopt an annual budget.

(2)

(a) An annual budget shall list all existing indebtedness and all anticipated revenue from all sources during the ensuing year and shall likewise list all proposed appropriations for each department, activity and reserve account during the said ensuing year. Such budget shall also show actual revenues and expenditures for the preceding year, actual revenues and expenditures for not less than the first 6 months of the current year and estimated revenues and expenditures for the balance of the current year. Such budget shall also show for informational purposes by fund all anticipated unexpended or unappropriated balances, and surpluses.

(b) A biennial budget shall list all existing indebtedness and all anticipated revenue from all sources during the ensuing budget period and shall likewise list all proposed appropriations for each department, activity and reserve account during that period. A biennial budget shall also show actual revenues and expenditures for the preceding budget period, actual revenues and expenditures for not less than the first 18 months of the current budget period and estimated revenues and expenditures for the balance of the period to which the budget applies. Such budget shall also show for informational purposes by fund all anticipated unexpended or unappropriated balances, and surpluses.

(3)

(a) A summary of the budget required under sub. (1) or authorized under sub. (1m) and notice of the place where the budget in detail is available for public inspection and notice of the time and place for holding the public hearing thereon shall be published as a class 1 notice, under ch. 985 , in the municipality at least 15 days prior to the time of the public hearing except that:

2. Any school district reproducing and providing general distribution within the district of an annual report incorporating a budget summary at least 15 days prior to the annual meeting is exempt from the notice requirements of this paragraph.

3. A common school district, as defined under s. 115.01 (3) , shall publish a class 1 notice, under ch. 985 , as required under this paragraph, at least 10 days prior to the time of the public hearing thereon.

(b) Any budget summary required under par. (a) shall include all of the following for each fiscal year of the proposed budget and the budget in effect, and shall also include the percentage change between the budget of the current year and each fiscal year of the proposed budget:

1. For the general fund, all expenditures in the following categories:

a. General government.

b. Public safety.

c. Public works.

d. Health and human services.

e. Culture, recreation and education.

f. Conservation and development.

g. Capital outlay.

h. Debt service.

i. Other financing uses.

2. For the general fund, all revenues from the following sources:

a. Taxes.

b. Special assessments.

c. Intergovernmental revenues.

d. Licenses and permits.

e. Fines, forfeitures and penalties.

f. Public charges for services.

g. Intergovernmental charges.

h. Miscellaneous revenue.

i. Other financing sources.

3. Revenue and expenditure totals for each impact fee that is imposed by a municipality.

4. All beginning and year-end governmental and proprietary fund balances.

5. The contribution of the property tax to each governmental fund and to each proprietary fund that receives property tax revenue and the totals for all funds.

6. Revenue and expenditure totals, by fund, for each governmental fund, and for each proprietary fund and the revenue and expenditure totals for all funds combined.

(bm) Any budget summary created under par. (a) shall include an itemization of proposed increases and decreases to the current year budget, and an itemization of proposed increases and decreases between the first and second year of a biennial budget, due to new or discontinued activities and functions.

(c) The department of public instruction under s. 115.28 , the department of revenue under s. 73.10 and the technical college system board under s. 38.04 shall encourage and consult with interested public and private organizations regarding the budget summary information required under pars. (a) and (b) . The department of public instruction and the technical college system board shall specify the revenue and expenditure detail that is required under par. (b) 1. and 2. for school districts and for technical college districts.

(d) A municipality may publish any additional budget summary information that its governing body considers necessary, but the additional information shall be reported separately from the information required under pars. (a) , (b) and (bm) .

(4) Not fewer than 15 days or, in the case of common school districts, as defined under s. 115.01 (3) , not fewer than 10 days, after the publication of the proposed budget and the notice of hearing thereon a public hearing shall be held at the time and place stipulated at which any resident or taxpayer of the governmental unit shall have an opportunity to be heard on the proposed budget. The budget hearing may be adjourned from time to time. In school districts holding an annual meeting the time and place of the budget hearing shall be the time and place of the annual meeting.

(5)

(ag) In this subsection, “members-elect” has the meaning given in s. 66.10015 (1) (bs) .

(ar) Except as provided in pars. (b) and (c) and except for alterations made pursuant to a hearing under sub. (4) , the amount of tax to be levied or certified, the amounts of the various appropriations and the purposes for such appropriations stated in a budget required under sub. (1) or authorized under sub. (1m) may not be changed unless authorized by a vote of two-thirds of the members-elect of the governing body of the municipality. Any municipality, except a town, that makes changes under this paragraph shall publish either a class 1 notice of the changes, under ch. 985 , within 15 days after any change is made or post a notice of the changes on the municipality’s website within 15 days after any change is made. Failure to give notice shall preclude any changes in the proposed budget and alterations thereto made under sub. (4) .

(b) A county board may authorize its standing committees to transfer funds between budgeted items of an individual county office or department, if such budgeted items have been separately appropriated, and to supplement the appropriations for a particular office, department, or activity by transfers from the contingent fund. Such committee transfers shall not exceed the amount set up in the contingent fund as adopted in the annual budget, nor aggregate in the case of an individual office, department, or activity in excess of 10 percent of the funds originally provided for such office, department, or activity in such annual budget. The publication provisions of par. (ar) shall apply to all committee transfers from the contingent fund.

(c)

1. A governing body or a committee authorized by the governing body may, at any time, decrease appropriation amounts in a biennial budget.

2. In October or November of an even-numbered year, the governing body of a municipality may change any appropriation or revenue amount in relation to the 2nd year of the biennial budget by a simple majority vote of the members-elect of the governing body.

(6) As part of the annual budget required under sub. (1) or the biennial budget authorized under sub. (1m) , the governing body of any municipality and of any county having a population of 750,000 or more may establish and maintain, and levy a tax for, a liability reserve fund for the purpose of paying liability claims against the municipality or premiums on insurance to pay such claims. The governing body may allow amounts appropriated to the fund to accumulate from year to year. The annual taxes levied for this purpose may not exceed the level necessary to collect the amount recommended by an actuary, in accordance with generally accepted actuarial principles, that will be sufficient to pay any insurance premiums and the uninsured portion of claims that are anticipated to be made based on occurrences during the year in which the tax is collected. Payment of claims and premiums may either be made directly from the reserve account or appropriations may be made from the reserve account to an operating account for such payments. No other transfers may be made from the fund except in accordance with the procedure specified in sub. (5) (ar) and unless:

(a) If the fund is to be dissolved, an actuary has determined that all claims that are to be paid from the fund have been paid or a sufficient reserve has been created from the fund to pay such claims; or

(b) If the fund is to be continued and the types of claims or the amount of coverage of claims by the fund is to be reduced, an actuary has determined, under generally accepted actuarial principles, that the balance in the fund exceeds the amount necessary to pay claims and premiums and the amount transferred is not more than the excess amount.

History: 1971 c. 40 , 154 ; 1971 c. 211 ss. 77 , 124 ; 1973 c. 224 ; 1975 c. 224 ; 1977 c. 418 ; 1981 c. 203 ; 1985 a. 225 ; 1987 a. 314 , 377 ; 1989 a. 31 ; 1991 a. 39 , 189 ; 1993 a. 399 ; 1995 a. 27 , s. 9145 (1) ; 1997 a. 27 ; 2005 a. 477 ; 2009 a. 177 ; 2015 a. 138 ; 2017 a. 207 s. 5 ; 2019 a. 42 ; 2021 a. 239 ss. 28 to 30 , 73 , 74 ; 2025 a. 71 .