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4-YEAR TERMS FOR COUNTY EMPLOYEES GOING TO REFERENDUM
Friday, February 18th, 2005 -- 11:34 am
Posted by Riley Hebert-News Director
A constitutional amendment authorizing four-year terms for certain local officials crossed its final legislative hurdle this week, winning bipartisan approval from the State Assembly 80-14 Thursday.
The amendment, authored by Sen. Ron Brown (R-Eau Claire) won Senate approval on a 32-1 vote earlier this year. The proposal would change the terms of office from two to four years for several county officials including: clerks of circuit court, coroners, county clerks, district attorneys, elected surveyors, registers of deeds and treasurers.
Brown said the proposal makes sense because a longer term will allow these officials to focus on running their offices and serving the taxpayers efficiently, instead of campaigning for office every two years.
The constitutional change will appear on the spring general election ballot on April 5. If ratified by a majority of Wisconsin voters, clerks of circuit court and coroners would be eligible for four-year terms in the November, 2006 election. Sheriffs are elected on this same cycle. District attorneys, registers of deeds, treasurers, county clerks and elected surveyors could all run for four-year terms concurrent with the next presidential election in 2008.
Wisconsin voters approved four-year terms for sheriffs by an almost 3-1 margin in 1998.
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