Boundary Agreements

Boundary agreements are a valuable tool available to local communities to avoid potentially lengthy and costly litigation conflicts over annexation, incorporation, consolidation, land acknowledgement and use, revenue, services, environmental resources and issues, new development, and other intergovernmental issues.  Instead of dueling against one another in an adversarial and usually reactive manner, boundary agreements enable communities to proactively develop solutions to benefit the area as a whole and move both communities toward their desired future vision and goals.

To assist communities in developing boundary agreements, the Department maintains a list of trained and experienced Mediators.  For example, a neutral and professional mediator can be beneficial when communities are struggling over a particular issue.

There are three types of Boundary Agreements allowed by Wisconsin law:

• Cooperative Boundary Plans (s. 66.0307 Wis. Stats.) – long-term or permanent agreements between two or more communities.  Requires review and approval by the Department of Administration. 
• General Agreements (s. 66.0301 Wis. Stats.) – short-term agreements no longer than 10 years between two or more communities. In addition to resolving boundary issues, communities also frequently use General Agreements to share municipal equipment, buildings, staff, vehicles, and other service-related items. 
• Stipulations & Orders (s. 66.0225 Wis. Stats.) – agreements that are used to settle annexation disputes being litigated in court between two communities.

Resources

• Municipal Data System - an interactive and searchable database of municipal boundary agreements, as well as boundary adjustment ordinances, consolidations, and incorporations.

• Distinguishing Between Different Statutory Boundary Agreement Methods 
• Boundary Agreement Law