Why voters in some central WI cities should consider November appointed secretaries and treasurers

Several cities and one town in central Wisconsin will decide in November whether their municipal clerk or treasurer positions should remain elected or council-appointed.

Municipalities with a population of less than 2,500 must use referendums to reorganize their government offices, in accordance with state statute.

In Wisconsin’s 1,249 towns, there are 240 appointed clerks and 800 elected clerks, 165 appointed treasurers and 875 elected treasurers, and 126 appointed clerk-treasurers and 102 elected clerk-treasurers, according to the Wisconsin Towns Association website.

A USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin reporter spoke with Carol Nawrocki, assistant director of the Wisconsin Towns Association, to find out why nearly 70 municipalities across the state are asking voters to consider this change in the November election.

Here’s what we discovered.

Why are communities considering making this change?

Communities in Wisconsin have been moving slowly toward appointing clerk and treasurer positions over the past two decades, Nawrocki said. Various factors, including increased complexity, changes in laws, greater responsibilities and more focused public scrutiny, have led to fewer people wanting to take on a role that was previously seen as a voluntary position.

“A lot of people get the job because they’re told, ‘Just go to a monthly board meeting and take the minutes, that’s it.’ And then they got the job and found out, ‘Oh, wait a minute, I have a list of a thousand things I need to do,’” Nawrocki said.

Other tasks that clerks are responsible for include sending meeting notices, organizing and conducting elections, submitting reports to the state that can carry penalties for municipalities if not completed, issuing checks to the municipality , payroll processing and more.

Nawrocki described how some municipalities with just a few hundred residents struggle to find residents to run in elections for the position of clerk or treasurer and said there have been times when people have been elected only to resign after a month of learning the duties of the role.

What are the benefits of appointing secretary and treasurer positions?

The main benefit of the move is that the offices can be occupied by people who are not county residents, Nawrocki said. Elected officials must reside in the district in which they were elected in Wisconsin. Appointed officials may reside elsewhere and even serve as clerks or treasurers in other municipalities.

A second benefit is the ability to define qualifications for positions. Nawrocki said things like education in finance, experience in municipal government and skill with certain software programs can be examples of established qualifications for the roles.

Stability is a third benefit identified by Nawrocki. Elected officials learn the role, complete training sessions, travel to conventions or other educational opportunities, and then they lose an election and a newly elected official may have to start this learning process over again.

“City councils need the stability of someone who will stay on the job, learn the job, learn the skills and all the knowledge as they go along to do it,” Nawrocki said. “(Boards are) realizing this is a critical position and we need someone who can make this a career and make it their full-time job, learn and do the best they can for their community.”

Will municipalities have to pay more for appointed officials and treasurers with these skills and experience?

Nawrocki said this will vary depending on the situation in each municipality. Some may hire an employee from a nearby municipality to carry out their extra duties. Other municipalities may not have this option or may have additional responsibilities they would like the role to take on, thus increasing the cost of paying someone to do the work.

Setting minimum qualifications could mean a municipality will have to offer higher salaries to attract people willing to take on the role, Nawrocki said.

Why are so many Wisconsin municipalities considering this change now?

Nawrocki explained that this has to do with deadlines set by Wisconsin statutes for making changes to municipal governance structures. Chapter 60 of the Wisconsin state statutes says the change can only happen when the position’s two-year term ends.

This November election is the last election that municipalities can hold this type of referendum to make the change in structure in the spring of 2025. Moving forward, municipalities can hold this type of referendum in any fall, spring, primary, not primary or special, but the change would not be made until spring 2027 and so on.

“There is kind of a pressure to do this now if you want it to be effective for the term that starts in April 2025,” Nawrocki said.

Have doubts about election integrity and increased scrutiny affected people’s desire to serve as county clerks?

There was a lot of employee turnover after the last presidential election, Nawrocki said. Increased scrutiny and “not so nice” comments are among the reasons she has heard from people leaving clerking roles, but changing election rules and increasing time commitments are also significant factors.

“We must remember that these jobs are mainly for people who want to provide public service. This is why you run for office,” Nawrocki said. “You want to help your community and serve in this role.

“When you have an election and everyone suspects you and accuses you of doing things and says, ‘We don’t trust the results’ and all that, it’s hard not to take it seriously.”

She said changes to rules about absentee ballots and drop boxes in recent years also add a significant burden on officials to stay engaged and up to date on current laws and practices.

Which central Wisconsin cities and towns are considering this move to clerk or treasurer positions?

Here are the municipalities considering appointing elected clerk and/or treasurer positions in Marathon County:

• City of Brighton: City Clerk and City Treasurer on a Referendum Question

• City of Easton: City clerk and treasurer on separate referendum issues

• City of Rietbrock: City clerk

• Texas City: City clerk

• Fenwood Village: Village clerk

Here are the municipalities considering appointing elected clerk and/or treasurer positions in Portage County:

Here are the municipalities that are considering appointing elected clerk and/or treasurer positions in Wood County:

• City of Auburndale: City clerk

• City of Cameron: City Clerk and City Treasurer on a Referendum Question

• City of Dexter: City clerk

• City of Lincoln: City Clerk and City Treasurer on a Referendum Question

• City of Sherry: City clerk

• City of Madeira: City Clerk and City Treasurer on a Referendum Question

Erik Pfantz covers local government and education in central Wisconsin for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin and values ​​his experience as a rural Wisconsin resident. Contact him at [email protected].

This article originally appeared in the Wausau Daily Herald: Voters in central WI cities will consider appointed secretaries, treasurers