What is annexation?
Annexation is the process that transfers unincorporated territory from towns to cities and villages. It is a landowner-driven process. Landowners often seek annexation to obtain sewer and water or other municipal services not available in the town, but there may be other reasons as well. Wisconsin statutes authorize a number of different annexation methods. Annexation by unanimous approval and by one-half approval are the most common of these methods. They involve: • a property owner; • a town(s); • a village or City; and • a public interest review by the Department of Administration. See Department Review of Annexations. The municipal boundary, intergovernmental, and land use issues surrounding annexation may sometimes be contentious. On the other hand, annexation can serve as a gateway to intergovernmental agreement and cooperation. Department staff is available upon request to meet with local officials and citizens to discuss annexation issues and mechanisms for resolving them. One
Annexation is an activity in which two things are joined together, usually with a subordinate or lesser thing being attached to a larger thing. In strict legal terms, annexation simply involves a consolidation or joining, but many people use the term specifically to discuss the annexation of territories by nations which feel that they have a claim on them. A number of nations expanded their political power through annexation historically, although the United Nations no longer recognizes annexation as a legitimate political tool. In a legal sense, when something is annexed, it is appended or added to something else. For example, someone might annex a will by adding a codicil which changes the terms, or annex personal property by attaching it legally to a piece of real estate. Annexation in the legal community does not carry the same implications that others forms of annexation do. Within a nation, incorporated entities can choose to annex neighboring land. This decision is usually made
