Cooperative boundary agreements are authorized under s. 66.0307, Wis.Stats. and are the most thorough and complete method for developing boundary agreements in Wisconsin.  They are a valuable tool for local communities and a welcome alternative to protracted conflicts and litigation over annexation, incorporation, consolidation, land use, revenue, service provision and other intergovernmental issues.  Features include broad notice to area residents and jurisdictions, a cooperative plan for the agreement territory, a public hearing,  a comment period, an advisory referendum if requested, and review by the Department of Administration.  The Department may approve, deny, or recommend changes to a submitted agreement.

New! 2007 Wisconsin Act 43 makes a number of changes to cooperative boundary agreement law.  The Act:

• Streamlines and simplifies the cooperative boundary agreement process by substituting the detailed planning requirements with work already done as part of a community's comprehensive plan or master plan, and also by reducing the mandatory waiting period between the time the agreement process starts and the time the public hearing on the agreement is held from 120 days to 60 days;
  
  
• Resolves confusion with existing statutes by limiting the use of s. 66.0225 agreements to annexation litigation, and also by expressly permitting the use of s. 66.0301 general agreements to develop short-term (10 years or less) municipal boundary agreements.  Previously the validity of these types of agreements was questioned. 
  
  
• Encourages mediation of municipal boundary disputes by 1) requiring the Department of Administration to maintain a Roster of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Providers, 2) by creating a Mediated Agreement Procedure for communities to use to develop cooperative boundary agreements with their municipal neighbors, and 3) by encouraging judges to resolve annexation litigation by applying s. 802.12 Wis. Stats. - Wisconsin's ADR statute - to annexation disputes.  Although 802.12 was already available to judges, specific reference within the annexation statute may facilitate its more frequent use.

Resources:

• Distinguishing Between Different Statutory Boundary Agreement Methods
• Boundary Agreement Statutes 
  
  
• Cooperative Boundary Agreements
  Factsheet
  Flowchart
  Checklist
  Completed Agreements -  Table   Summary 
  
  
• Mediated Procedure for Cooperative Boundary Agreements
  
• Intergovernmental Cooperation: A Guide to Preparing the Intergovernmental Cooperation Element of a Comprehensive Plan (2002) 
  
• Cooperative Tax Incremental Districts Factsheet - having an adopted cooperative boundary agreement enables towns to have TIDs.
  

• City of Madison, Village of DeForest, Town of Burke, and City of Sun Prairie (2007)
  Department Approval
• City of Madison, Town of Madison, City of Fitchburg Amendment (2007)
  Department Approval
• Village of Paddock Lake and Town of Salem (2007)
  Department Approval
• Village of Paddock Lake and Town of Bristol (2008)
  Department Approval
• City of Baraboo and Town of Greenfield (2008)
  Department Approval
• New! Town of Summit, Towns of Delafield, Oconomowoc, and Ottawa, and Villages of Oconomowoc Lake and Dousman (2009)
  Department Approval
• New! Town of Raymond and Village of Calefonia (2009)
  Department Approval