Opinion ID: 1925525
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Can a city initiate an annexation proceeding under sec. 66.021, Stats.?

Text: The annexation proceeding in Town of Madison v. City of Madison (1960), 12 Wis. (2d) 100, 106 N. W. (2d) 264, was commenced under sec. 66.021, Stats., prior to the enactment of sec. 66.024 by ch. 418, Laws of 1959, and the latter section was not considered. This section permits a city or village to initiate a proceeding to annex land contiguous thereto which contains electors by passing a resolution and making an application to the circuit court for an order for an annexation referendum. The application may be defeated by a petition filed in court and signed by a majority of the electors or by the owners of more than one half of the real property in assessed value in the territory. The plaintiffs contend sec. 66.024, Stats., is the exclusive method by which a city or village may initiate an annexation proceeding and in effect overrules our holding in Town of Madison v. City of Madison, supra . We do not agree. In that case we also held that sec. 66.025 was not an exclusive method of annexation for a city partly because the section provided the method was in addition to other methods provided by law, and partly because of its limited application to territory wholly owned by the city. Likewise, the introductory paragraph of sec. 66.024 states that the method therein provided is a complete alternative to any other annexation procedure. Secs. 66.021 and 66.024, Stats., are not mutually exclusive, but sec. 66.024 does permit a city to initiate an annexation proceeding when it is not the owner of any land if there are electors in the territory. But we cannot read an intent of the legislature into this section that a city can no longer proceed under sec. 66.021 when it is an owner and qualified to sign a petition of annexation. We hold sec. 66.024 is not an exclusive method by which a city may institute annexation proceedings. A city may, if it is the owner of land, invoke the method provided by sec. 66.021. By the Court. The judgment is reversed, with instructions to enter a declaratory judgment adjudging the ordinance adopted by the city of Fond du Lac on July 27, 1961, annexing certain territory to the city of Fond du Lac from the town of Fond du Lac, void. FAIRCHILD and WILKIE, JJ. (concurring). We concur in the result, but only on the ground that signatures were improperly obtained.