Wisconsin Question 2, Metropolitan Sewerage Debt Amendment (April 1981)
| Wisconsin Question 2 | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic Bond issues |
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| Status |
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| Type Legislatively referred constitutional amendment |
Origin |
Wisconsin Question 2 was on the ballot as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment in Wisconsin on April 7, 1981. It was approved.
A "yes" vote supported amending the constitution to allow sewage districts and counties to issue bonds of up to 50 years in length, raising the previous threshold of 20 years. |
A "no" vote opposed amending the constitution to allow sewage districts and counties to issue bonds of up to 50 years in length, maintaining the previous threshold of 20 years. |
Election results
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Wisconsin Question 2 |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
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386,792 | 60.66% | ||
| No | 250,866 | 39.34% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Question 2 was as follows:
| “ | Shall section 3 of article XI of the constitution be amended so that sewerage districts and counties over 150,000 population, and all cities, issuing bonds for sewerage collection and treatment systems may retire such indebtedness within 50 years rather than the present limit of 20 years? | ” |
Constitutional changes
Note: Hover over the text and scroll to see the full text.
[Article XI] Section 3.
Cities and villages organized pursuant to state law are hereby empowered, to may determine their local affairs and government, subject only to this constitution and to such enactments of the legislature of state-wide statewide concern as shall with uniformity shall affect every city or every village. The method of such determination shall be prescribed by the legislature.
(2) No county, city, town, village, school district, sewerage district or other municipal corporation may become indebted in an amount that exceeds an allowable percentage of the taxable property located therein equalized for state purposes as provided by the legislature. In all cases the allowable percentage shall be five per centum 5 percent except as follows specified in pars. (a) and (b):
(a) For any city authorized to issue bonds for school purposes, an additional ten per centum 10 percent shall be permitted for school purposes only, and in such cases the territory attached to the city for school purposes shall be included in the total taxable property supporting the bonds issued for school purposes.
(b) For any school district which offers no less than grades one to twelve 12and which at the time of incurring such debt is eligible for the highest level of school aids, ten per centum 10 percent shall be permitted.
(3) Any county, city, town, village, school district, sewerage district or other municipal corporation incurring any indebtedness as aforesaid, under sub.(2) shall, before or at the time of doing so, provide for the collection of a direct annual tax sufficient to pay the interest on such debt as it falls due, and also to pay and discharge the principal thereof within twenty 20 years from the time of contracting the same; except that when such.
(4) When indebtedness under sub.(2) is incurred in the acquisition of lands by cities, or by counties or sewerage districts having a population of one hundred fifty thousand 150,000 or over, for public, municipal purposes, or for the permanent improvement thereof, or to purchase, acquire, construct, extend, add to or improve a sewage collection or treatment system which services all or a part of such city or county, the city, or county or sewerage district incurring the same indebtedness shall, before or at the time of so doing, provide for the collection of a direct annual tax sufficient to pay the interest on such debt as it falls due, and also to pay and discharge the principal thereof within a period not exceeding fifty 50 years from the time of contracting the same.
(5) An indebtedness created for the purpose of purchasing, acquiring, leasing, constructing, extending, adding to, improving, conducting, controlling, operating or managing a public utility of a town, village, city or special district, and secured solely by the property or income of such public utility, and whereby no municipal liability is created, shall not be considered an indebtedness of such town, village, city or special district, and shall not be included in arriving at such the debt limitation under sub. (2).[1]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Amending the Wisconsin Constitution
A simple majority vote is required during two legislative sessions for the Wisconsin State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 50 votes in the Wisconsin State Assembly and 17 votes in the Wisconsin State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source.
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