Make a Difference in Your Backyard: Attend Your Township Annual Meeting

Written by WFU member Dixie Stechschulte of the South Central Chapter

The annual town meeting is a tradition that takes place on the third Tuesday of April every year. It's the one day where the average citizen can look the people spending their tax dollars in the eye and say, “tell me why,” which can be a powerful tool to create change in communities. 

There is a unique accountability that happens when you meet in person with your local officials. You aren't emailing a nameless bureaucrat; you are talking to the person who lives three miles down the road about things that matter to you. While you elect a town board to handle the day-to-day chores, the law reserves the “big picture” decisions for you, the elector.

The annual meeting, authorized by Wisconsin Statute 60.10, gives the electors direct powers with one of the most important items being the tax levy. At a typical meeting the electors are provided with a summary of what the dollars have been used for. There could be questions posed, such as: 

• What specific services or projects are driving that increase? 

• Why do we have a decrease when costs are going up?   

• Do we need a new tractor or other equipment?

• What road work is being planned? Does that roadwork exceed the statutory limit?  

• Do we have a reserve fund? 

• What is the salary of the board members?  

Any one of these questions has the potential to launch discussions that affect the total dollar amount the town is authorized to collect and, ultimately, that money can’t be spent without your approval.

Annual meetings also give the electors the ability to grant the town board authority to act on things like increased zoning capability using village powers for controlling what land use or development can happen. Think about questions like: 

• Do we have ag enterprise zones?

• What regulations or guidelines are currently in place for large-scale utility projects and large livestock operations?

• Do we want to buy land for a park, new town hall, or town garage?   

While the electors give the board permission, it does not force them to act. However, it may be harder for them to say no or to take no action when they are in a room with their neighbors.  

The meetings also authorize boards to appropriate money in the budget for certain specific purposes like conservation of natural resources, managing invasive species or animal diseases, and supporting innovation in other groups.

In a world where so many decisions feel out of our hands, these annual meetings are the rare exception where the law puts you in charge of your own backyard. It ensures that your town continues to be run by the neighbors, for the neighbors. Make a plan to attend your local township meeting on April 21.

According to Wisconsin Statute 60.11, annual town meetings may be held within 10 days after the third Tuesday in April. Make sure to check your town's calendar to confirm the date, time, and location.