2023 Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations › Chapter 77 - Taxation of forest croplands; real estate transfer fees; sales and use taxes; county, municipality, and special district sales and use taxes; managed forest land; economic development surcharge; local food and beverage tax; local rental car tax; premier resort area taxes; state rental vehicle fee; dry cleaning fees. › 77.70 - Adoption by county ordinance.

77.70
Adoption by county ordinance.
(1)
Except as provided in sub. (2), any county may impose county sales and use taxes under this subchapter by the adoption of an ordinance, stating its purpose and referring to this subchapter. The rate of the tax imposed under this subsection is 0.5 percent of the sales price or purchase price. Except as provided in s. 66.0621 (3m), the county sales and use taxes imposed under this subsection may be imposed only for the purpose of directly reducing the property tax levy and only in their entirety as provided in this subchapter. That ordinance shall be effective on January 1, April 1, July 1, or October 1. A certified copy of that ordinance shall be delivered to the secretary of revenue at least 120 days prior to its effective date. The repeal of any such ordinance shall be effective on December 31. A certified copy of a repeal ordinance shall be delivered to the secretary of revenue at least 120 days before the effective date of the repeal. Except as provided under s. 77.60 (9), the department of revenue may not issue any assessment or act on any claim for a refund or any claim for an adjustment under s. 77.585 after the end of the calendar year that is 4 years after the year in which the county has enacted a repeal ordinance under this subsection.
(2)
(a)
In addition to the taxes imposed under sub. (1), a county in which a 1st class city is located may adopt an ordinance, by a two-thirds majority vote of all members elect of the county board, to impose sales and use taxes under this subchapter at the rate of 0.4 percent of the sales price or purchase price. An ordinance adopted under this subsection shall be effective on January 1, April 1, July 1, or October 1 and the taxes shall be imposed only in their entirety as provided in this subchapter. A certified copy of the ordinance shall be delivered to the secretary of revenue at least 120 days prior to its effective date. No county may impose a tax under this subsection unless the county makes an election to join the Wisconsin Retirement System for all new employees, pursuant to s. 40.21 (7) (a), and the county contributes the amount calculated under s. 59.875 (4) to its retirement system's unfunded actuarial accrued liability from the taxes imposed under this subsection in 2025 and in each year thereafter until the first year in which the retirement system is determined by the retirement system's actuary to be fully funded. After the retirement system is first fully funded, or until 30 years have elapsed since the effective date of the tax, whichever is earlier, the actuary shall determine all future required contributions from the county on the basis of standard actuarial practices, and the county shall repeal the ordinance imposing the tax. A certified copy of that ordinance shall be delivered to the secretary of revenue at least 120 days prior to its effective date. The repeal of any such ordinance shall be effective on December 31. A certified copy of a repeal ordinance shall be delivered to the secretary of revenue at least 120 days before the effective date of the repeal. Except as provided under s. 77.60 (9), the department of revenue may not issue any assessment or act on any claim for a refund or any claim for an adjustment under s. 77.585 after the end of the calendar year that is 4 years after the year in which the county has enacted a repeal ordinance under this subsection.
(b)
1.
Annually, after making the required payment to its retirement system's unfunded actuarial accrued liability under par. (a), the county shall make the required payment for its pension bond obligations from the revenues received under this subsection.
2.
Any revenues received in any year in excess of the amounts paid under subd. 1. and par. (a) in the previous year shall be used as an additional payment to the county retirement system's unfunded actuarial accrued liability.
(c)
Annually, beginning in 2026, the county shall submit a report to the joint committee on finance, in the manner provided under s. 13.172 (2), containing detailed information on the county's expenditures in the previous year from the revenues collected under this subsection.
History:  1985 a. 41, 120; 1987 a. 27; 1991 a. 39; 2009 a. 2, 28; 2015 a. 197 s. 50; 2017 a. 17, 58; 2023 a. 12.
This section does not require a dollar-for-dollar offset to the property tax levy. Instead, it authorizes a county to impose a sales and use tax for the specific purpose of directly reducing the property tax levy, while leaving the means to accomplish that purpose up to the county. Because the county's ordinance in this case did in fact directly reduce the property tax levy by funding projects that would otherwise have been paid for through additional debt obligations, the ordinance was permissible. Brown County v. Brown County Taxpayers Ass'n, 2022 WI 13, 400 Wis. 2d 781, 971 N.W.2d 491, 20-0940.
A county may not impose a tax upon admissions to amusements except as part of a general sales and use tax at the statutorily prescribed rate of one-half of 1 percent. 58 Atty. Gen. 212.
A county board may not control municipal use of county sales tax revenue. 60 Atty. Gen. 387.
Funds received from a county sales and use tax may be budgeted by the county board to reduce the amount of the county-wide property tax levy or to defray the cost of any item that can be funded by a county-wide property tax. OAG 1-98.