59.52 County administration.

1,004 words·~5 min read·/wi/chapter-59/59-52

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

(1)Department of administration.

(a)In counties with a population of 750,000 or more, the county may create a department of administration, provide for the appointment by the county executive of a director of such department and assign such administrative functions to the department as it considers appropriate, subject to the limitations of this paragraph. No such function shall be assigned to the department where the performance of the same by some other county office, department or commission is required by any provision of the constitution or statutes of this state, except that administrative functions under the jurisdiction of the county civil service commission or the county auditor may be so assigned notwithstanding sub.

(8)and ss. 59.47 , 59.60 and 63.01 to 63.17 . Such director shall be appointed by the county executive in the unclassified civil service and is subject to confirmation by the county board, as provided in s. 59.17

(bm).

(b)Any county with a population of less than 750,000 may create a department of administration and assign any administrative function to the department as it considers appropriate, except that no administrative function may be assigned to the department if any other provision of state law requires the performance of the function by any other county office, department or commission unless the administrative function is under the jurisdiction of the county civil service commission or the county auditor, in which case, the function may be assigned to the department notwithstanding sub.

(8)and ss. 59.47 , 59.60 and 63.01 to 63.17 . Except as provided under par.

(a), in any county with a county executive or county administrator, the county executive or county administrator shall have the authority to appoint and supervise the head of a department of administration; and except as provided under par.

(a), the appointment is subject to confirmation by the county board unless the appointment is made under a civil service system competitive examination procedure established under sub.

(8)or ch. 63 .

(2)Public records. The board may prescribe the form and manner of keeping the records in any county office and the accounts of county officers. The board may enact an ordinance designating legal custodians for the county. Unless prohibited by law, the ordinance may require the clerk or the clerk’s designee to act as legal custodian for the board and for any committees, commissions, boards or authorities created by ordinance or resolution of the board.

(3)Records where kept; public examination; rebinding; transcribing.

(a)The books, records, papers and accounts of the board shall be deposited with the respective county clerks and shall be open without any charge to the examination of all persons.

(b)When any book, public record or the record of any city, village or town plat in any county office shall, from any cause, become unfit for use in whole or in part, the board shall order that the book, record or plat be rebound or transcribed. If the order is to rebind such book, record or plat, the rebinding must be done under the direction of the officer in charge of the book, record or plat, and in that officer’s office. If the order is to transcribe such book, record or plat, the officer having charge of the same shall provide a suitable book for that purpose; and thereupon such officer shall transcribe the same in the book so provided and carefully compare the transcript with the originals, and make the same a correct copy thereof, and shall attach to the transcript a certificate over that officer’s official signature that that officer has carefully compared the matter therein contained with, and that the same is a correct and literal copy of the book, record or plat from which the same was transcribed, naming such book. The certified copy of the book, record or plat shall have the same effect in all respects as the original, and the original book, record or plat shall be deposited with the treasurer and carefully preserved, except that in counties having a population of 750,000 or more where a book containing a tract index is rewritten or transcribed the original book may be destroyed. The order of the board directing the transcribing of any book, record or plat duly certified by the clerk shall, with such certificate, be recorded in each copy of the book, record or plat transcribed. The fee of the officer for such service shall be fixed by the board, not exceeding 10 cents per folio, or if such books or any part thereof consist of printed forms, not to exceed 5 cents per folio for such books or records, to be paid by the county.

(4)Destruction, transfer of obsolete records.

(a)Destruction of obsolete county records. Whenever necessary to gain needed vault and filing space, county or court officers and the custodian of the records of all courts of record in the state may, subject to pars.

(b)and

(c), destroy obsolete records in their custody as follows:

1. Notices of tax apportionment that are received from the secretary of state, after 3 years.

2. Copies of notices of tax apportionment that are sent to local taxing districts by the clerk, after 3 years.

3. Records of bounty claims that are forwarded to the department of natural resources, after one year.

4. Lists of officers of a municipality that are certified to the county clerk by the municipal clerks, after the date of the expiration of the term listed.

5. Crop reports that are submitted to the clerk by the local assessors, after 3 years.

6. Illegal tax certificates that are charged back to local taxing districts, 3 years after the date of charging back such certificates.

7. Notices of application for the taking of tax deeds and certificates of nonoccupancy, proofs of service and tax certificates that are filed with the clerk in connection with the taking of tax deeds, after 15 years.

8. Official bonds, after 6 years.