70.67 Municipal treasurer's bond; substitute for.

(1) The treasurer of each town, city, or village shall, unless exempted under sub. (2), execute and deliver to the county treasurer a bond, with sureties, to be approved, in case of a town treasurer, by the chairperson of the town, and in case of a city or village treasurer by the county treasurer, conditioned for the faithful performance of the duties of the office and that the treasurer will account for and pay over according to law all taxes of any kind which are received and which are required to be paid to the county treasurer. If such bond is executed the amount of the bond shall be no less than the amount of state and county taxes apportioned to the town, village, or city. The county treasurer shall give to the town, city, or village treasurer a receipt for the bond, and shall file and safely keep the bond in the county treasurer's office.

(2) The treasurer of any municipality shall not be required to give such bond if the governing body thereof shall by ordinance obligate such municipality to pay, in case the treasurer thereof shall fail so to do, all taxes of any kind required by law to be paid by such treasurer to the county treasurer. Such governing body is authorized to so obligate such municipality. If the governing body of the municipality has adopted an ordinance as specified in this subsection, it may demand from its treasurer, in addition to the official bond required of all municipal treasurers, a fidelity or surety bond in an amount and upon such terms as may be determined by the governing body. Such bond shall run to the town or village board or the city council, as the case may be, and shall be delivered to the clerk of the municipality. A certified copy of such ordinance filed with the county treasurer shall be accepted by the county treasurer in lieu of the bond required by sub. (1). Such ordinance shall remain in effect until a certified copy of its repeal shall be filed with the county clerk and the county treasurer. The official bond executed pursuant to s. 19.01, required of municipal treasurers, shall extend to and include the liability incurred by any town, city or village whose governing board shall adopt and certify to the county treasurer an ordinance in accordance with this subsection.

History: 1975 c. 375 s. 44; 1975 c. 421; 1989 a. 56 s. 258; 1991 a. 316; 2017 a. 52.

For purposes of sub. (2), the town board is the governing body of the town. 63 Atty. Gen. 10.