Town of Washington Board of Supervisors Approves Village Petition

The Town of Washington Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve the petition to incorporate part of the town as a village.

Town officials announced that they would pursue the change earlier this year following annexations by the City of Eau Claire and the City of Altoona. The controversial annexations led to plans for the Orchard Hills and Whitetail Woods housing developments, causing residents to worry about the increase in population and traffic as well as overall changes to their neighborhoods.

The process of becoming a village will take years, and not every part of the town is eligible for the new designation. According to a WQOW report, if eventually approved the Village territory would cover nearly 20 square miles with a population of over 5,000. The new Town of Washington would cover almost 35 square miles with a population of over 2,500. Officials say the village and town would operate separately but share resources and services.

Becoming a village would protect the Town of Washington from future annexation attempts and provide more control over its land use. Once the petition begins circulation among land-owning electors, the town will have six months to gather the signatures it needs to present it to the state.

To complicate matters, the Eau Claire City Council recently passed a resolution stating that it expects to annex more land from the Town of Washington over the next few years for utility expansion. While the resolution has no immediate impact on the town’s plans to upgrade its designation, it will be included in the review process for court, state, and voter approval.