In 1999, the Governor signed into law Wisconsin Act 9, the Budget Bill, containing substantial revisions of existing planning related statutes and established the current comprehensive planning law (§66.1001 WI Stats.). Basically the law provides a definition of a plan, and should address demographic trends, natural resources, housing, transportation, economic development, and land use, among others. In addition, the law requires consistency between the local plan and local implementation tools of official mapping, subdivision ordinances and zoning ordinances; and requires public participation. Most important, is that it maintains that the process be locally driven so all local units of government decide their own future.
