66.1021 City, village and town transit commissions.

(1) A city, village or town may enact an ordinance for the establishment, maintenance and operation of a comprehensive unified local transportation system, the major portion of which is located within, or the major portion of the service of which is supplied to the inhabitants of, the city, village or town, and which system is used for the transportation of persons or freight.

(2) The transit commission shall be designated “ Transit Commission" preceded by the name of the enacting city, village or town.

(3) In this section:

(a) “Comprehensive unified local transportation system" means a transportation system comprised of motor bus lines and any other local public transportation facilities or freight transportation facilities, the major portions of which are within the city, village or town.

(b) “Transit commission" or “commission" means the local transit commission created under this section.

(4) The transit commission shall consist of not less than 3 members to be appointed by the mayor or village board or town board chairperson and approved by the common council or village or town board, one of whom shall be designated as chairperson.

(5)

(a) The first members of the transit commission shall be appointed for staggered 3-year terms. The term of office of each member appointed after the first members of the transit commission shall be 3 years.

(c) No person holding stocks or bonds in any corporation subject to the jurisdiction of the transit commission, or who is in any other manner pecuniarily interested in any such corporation, may be a member of nor be employed by the transit commission.

(6) The transit commission may appoint a secretary and employ accountants, engineers, experts, inspectors, clerks and other employees and fix their compensation, and purchase furniture, stationery and other supplies and materials, that are reasonably necessary to enable it to perform its duties and exercise its powers.

(7)

(a) The transit commission may conduct hearings and may adopt rules relative to the calling, holding and conduct of its meetings, the transaction of its business, the regulation and control of its agents and employees, the filing of complaints and petitions and the service of notices.

(b) For the purpose of receiving, considering and acting upon any complaints or applications that may be presented to it or for the purpose of conducting investigations or hearings on its own motion the transit commission shall hold regular meetings at least once a week except in the months of July and August and special meetings on the call of the chairperson or at the request of the common council or village or town board.

(c) The transit commission may adopt a seal, of which judicial notice shall be taken in all courts. Any process, writ, notice or other instrument that the commission may be authorized by law to issue shall be considered sufficient if signed by the secretary of the commission and authenticated by the commission's seal. All acts, orders, decisions, rules and records of the commission, and all reports, schedules and documents filed with the commission may be proved in any court by a copy of the documents that is certified by the secretary under the seal of the commission.

(8) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, the jurisdiction, powers and duties of the transit commission shall extend to the comprehensive unified local transportation system for which the commission is established including any portion of the system extending into adjacent or suburban territory that is outside of the city, village or town not more than 30 miles from the nearest point marking the corporate limits of the city, village or town. The jurisdiction, powers and duties of a transit commission providing rail service shall extend to the comprehensive unified local rail transportation system for which the commission is established including any portion of the system that extends into adjacent or suburban territory that is outside of the city, village or town and in an adjoining state whose laws permit, subject to the laws of that state but subject to the laws of this state in all matters relating to rail service.

(9) The initial acquisition of the properties for the establishment of, and to comprise, the comprehensive unified local transportation system is subject to s. 66.0803 or ch. 197.

(10)

(a) Any city, village, town or federally recognized Indian tribe or band may by contract under s. 66.0301 establish a joint municipal transit commission with the powers and duties of city, village or town transit commissions under this section. Membership on the joint transit commission shall be as provided in the contract established under s. 66.0301.

(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, no joint municipal transit commission under par. (a) may provide service outside the corporate limits of the parties to the contract under s. 66.0301 which establish the joint municipal transit commission unless the joint municipal transit commission receives financial support for the service under a contract with a public or private organization for the service. This paragraph does not apply to service provided by a joint municipal transit commission outside the corporate limits of the parties to the contract under s. 66.0301 which establish the joint municipal transit commission if the joint municipal transit commission is providing the service on April 28, 1994, without receiving financial support from a public or private organization for the service, and elects to continue the service.

(11)

(a) In lieu of providing transportation services, a city, village or town may contract with a private organization for the services.

(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, no municipality may contract with a private organization to provide service outside the corporate limits of the municipality unless the municipality receives financial support for the service under a contract with a public or other private organization for the service. This paragraph does not apply to service provided under par. (a) outside the corporate limits of a municipality if a private organization is providing the service on April 28, 1994, without receiving financial support from a public or private organization for the service, and the municipality elects to continue the service.

(12) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, no transit commission may provide service outside the corporate limits of the city which establishes the transit commission unless the transit commission receives financial support for the service under a contract with a public or private organization for the service. This subsection does not apply to service provided by a transit commission outside the corporate limits of the city which establishes the transit commission if the transit commission is providing the service on April 28, 1994, without receiving financial support from a public or private organization for the service, and elects to continue the service.

History: 1975 c. 224; 1977 c. 418; 1981 c. 247; 1983 a. 189, 266; 1993 a. 184, 246, 279, 491; 1999 a. 150 s. 606; Stats. 1999 s. 66.1021.

Although the statutes relating to public utilities and transit commissions describe certain attributes the governing commissions must have, these statutes do not, by their own force, call the commission into existence or endow it with authority independent of what the statutes confer on the municipality. A commission has no authority but for what it received from the municipality, and the municipality has no authority to legislate contrary to the boundaries established by the statutes. This section does not directly grant a transit commission any authority, but it does identify some of the authority the commission must be furnished by the municipality's enacting ordinance. Wisconsin Carry, Inc. v. City of Madison, 2017 WI 19, 373 Wis. 2d 543, 892 N.W.2d 233, 15-0146.