THE CHANGING WORLD OF WISCONSIN LOCAL GOVERNMENT            
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rather than a town, can bring significant changes. More services may be provided,
and these ser-
vices usually mean higher taxes, as well as special assessments for the addition
of curbs and gut-
ters, sidewalks and other improvements.
    Annexation may be initiated by residents of an area adjoining a municipality
or by the city
common council or village board. In either case, the annexation procedures
are prescribed in
detail by state law and often require a referendum in the territory to be
annexed.
    Although most annexations involve land on the outskirts or edges of municipalities,
land
within the municipal boundaries that is not yet incorporated - so-called
"town islands"- also
may be annexed. All Wisconsin annexations must follow the "rule of reason".
Unlike some
states, where cities can annex a six-foot-wide strip of land around the perimeter
of a large area
in order to prevent another municipality from annexing it, in Wisconsin the
annexation must
make sense and be in the public interest.
    Classes of Cities. State law recognizes only one category of village,
regardless of size, but
each Wisconsin city is assigned to one of four classes, a first-class city
being the largest. These
classes are intended to be population-based distinctions and, on the average,
second-class cities
are larger than third-class cities and third-class cities are larger than
fourth-class cities. A city
does not automatically move to a higher class as its population increases.
The city common coun-
cil must agree to the administrative changes required of a larger-class city,
and a proclamation
must be issued by the mayor and published, stating that the city will change
classes. Cities may
choose not to change classification for a number of reasons. For example,
Madison with 200,814
residents is large enough to meet the first-class city population requirement
of 150,000 or more
people, but it has chosen not to seek that status because to do so would
subject the city to state
statutes originally written only for Milwaukee. As a result, Milwaukee is
Wisconsin's only first-
class city.
     When a village reaches a population of 1,000, it can become a fourth-class
city by a two-
 thirds vote of the board of village trustees if it fulfills certain statutory
requirements. Some larger
 villages have chosen not to incorporate as cities. For example, the villages
of Allouez, Ashwau-
 benon, Brown Deer, Germantown, Greendale, Howard, Menomonee Falls, Pleasant
Prairie, Sho-
 rewood and Whitefish Bay, which are located in heavily urbanized areas,
all exceed the 10,000
 population requirement to become third-class cities but have not sought
city status.
     City Government. The administration of city government may be organized
in several ways
 in Wisconsin. The predominant form is mayor-council, which is used by 179
cities. State law
 also provides for the council-manager form of government, currently in use
in 10 cities, and the
 commission form, which has not been used since 1957.
     In a mayor-council system, the mayor and council members are elected
in the spring nonpar-
 tisan elections. The normal term of office for an elected city official
is two years, but the city
 may provide by charter ordinance for longer terms up to four years. The
mayor, who is elected
 from the city at large, serves as the chief executive officer and directs
the administration of the
 city, much as the U.S. President or a governor directs the executive branch.
However, unlike the
 President or governor, the mayor is a council member by state law and is
authorized to preside
 over the council. (The mayor may vote on measures before the council in
the event of a tie vote.)
 The council passes ordinances, and the mayor can sign or veto those measures.
     The mayor has a number of responsibilities: assuring that city and state
laws are enforced
 and that city officers and employes carry out their duties; providing information
to the council
 and recommending actions; appointing citizens to commissions and boards
(usually with council
 approval); and serving as the ceremonial head of the city. Mayors of larger
cities may travel to
 Madison or Washington, D.C., to meet with state or federal legislators or
represent their cities
 at national conferences. Some of the mayor's most important work may involve
conferring with
 state or federal officials or other mayors on issues of long-term importance
to the city.
     Sometimes distinctions are made between a 'strong mayor" system
and "weak mayor" sys-
 tem. These terms refer to the amount of independent power accorded to the
office of mayor by
 the council. For example, a strong mayor can establish executive policies
and independently hire