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November Seminars Explore Energy Options

(10/29/08) Join WTA Education Director Tom Harnisch at one of four seminars he will host in mid-November focusing on the availability and cost of energy. The WTA Energy Seminars will feature presentations by experts on wind turbines, “green” building codes, weatherization of municipal buildings, energy conservation zoning, rural transit, alternative fuel municipal vehicles and much more. Town officers, including committee/commission appointees, along with administrative, planning and zoning staff, are encouraged to attend. Click here for more information. Click here for registration form.

New DNR Rules Impact Shotgun-Only
Hunting Restrictions

(10/27/08) Recent Department of Natural Resources (DNR) rule changes adopted as part of the battle to contain Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in Wisconsin’s whitetail deer population could impact many towns in southern Wisconsin that restrict deer hunting to shotguns. One of the rule changes made by the DNR is to allow deer hunting with rifles in many of these formerly shotgun-only areas. Click here to read an informative article on this development by WTA Attorney Lee Turonie.

"Working Lands" Workshops Scheduled for Early December

(10/29/08) Town, village, city and county officials (along with appropriate commission/committee members, staff, land owners and other interested persons) are invited to participate in one of five one-day workshops to be presented around the state in early December on preserving “working lands” in Wisconsin. Workshops will feature local stories about successful and unsuccessful efforts to preserve agricultural and forest lands in Wisconsin, along with information about initiatives that have worked in other states. Details about Wisconsin's Working Lands Proposal will be presented and discussed. Click here for more information. Click here for registration form.

Extension Offers Energy Sustainability Webinars

(10/29/08) Town leaders seeking more information about energy conservation and sustainability are invited to participate in the UW-Extension Building Communities Webinar Series: Focus on Sustainability. The programs are scheduled for the third Tuesday of the month from 11:30-12:30. The programs are hosted by 32 county Extension offices and four UW campuses for a nominal fee and can be downloaded individually as well. Click here for registration and information about each of the programs or contact Andrea Rush at andrea.rush@uwex.edu or (608) 265-8136.

Increasing the Levy Limit If Your Town is Under 2,000 in Population

(10/18/08) Towns under 2,000 in population have the option of asking the town electors to authorize the town board to exceed the levy limits that are in place for 2008 at a special town elector meeting (see s. 66.0602(5), Wis. Stat.).  In order to obtain this approval, the town board must first adopt a resolution in support of the increase. Next, a special town elector meeting must be called where the question will appear on the agenda. At that meeting, the electors must then adopt a resolution in support of the town board's resolution. Finally, the electors set the final levy for the town by resolution. Click here for sample forms that may be used for this process

State Contracts Available to Local Governments Responding to Flooding

(06/17/08) Towns, sanitary districts and other local governments in Wisconsin can use the same state-negotiated contracts used by large agencies to buy supplies and services. Contracts typically feature competitive pricing and other benefits due to the state's large buying power and state officials note that some may be helpful in responding to the aftermath of recent flooding. Click here for more information. A complete list of contracts available to local governments can be found on the Department of Administration web site.

Cooperative Extension Offers Advise on Coping with Flood Damage

(06/17/08) Recent heavy and widespread rains in Wisconsin have left many families and farmers with questions about how to deal with flooded homes, business, farms and fields. Answers to many flood-related questions can be found online at Cooperative Extension’s Extension Responds web site, which provides accurate, objective, research-based information developed in partnership by UW-System and UW-Extension faculty and Cooperative Extension agents. For more information, please contact your county Cooperative Extension office.

WTA and Other Local Government Associations Create the Local Government Institute of WI

(04/30/08) The WTA is partnering with other local government associations to create a non-profit institute that will research policy issues of shared concern to Wisconsin’s towns, villages, cities and counties. The Local Government Institute of Wisconsin (LGI) was formed in October 2007 to conduct research, foster collaboration and educate the public and policymakers on ways to improve local services. Past WTA President Terry McMahon is a voting member and WTA Executive Director Rick Stadelman is a non-voting member of the institute’s board. Click here for more information about the new institute. Click here for more information.