Langlade County, Wisconsin - Chapter 14: Construction, Repair and Reconstruction of Sidewalks, 1922

Chapter 14: Construction, Repair and Reconstruction of Sidewalks

Section 1. The common council shall have power to order the building construction, reconstruction or repair of sidewalks in the city of Antigo in such a manner it may deem proper provided, however, that when any member of the common council, shall offer a resolution for the construction of any sidewalk in the city, the resolution shall be referred to the proper committee and held over until the next regular meeting. Such resolution shall describe the street or part of street along with and the block opposite where it is proposed to construct such sidewalk. The city clerk shall, within five days after such resolution is introduced and referred, serve a copy of such resolution on each and all of the residents or occupants of lots on the street or streets along which it is proposed to build such sidewalks.

Section 2. At its next regular meeting after such resolution shall have been so offered and referred, action shall be had by the common council thereon, and if such resolution be adopted by the common council, an order shall be entered among its records requiring a sidewalk to be constructed along such street or part of street or lands described in said resolution. The common council in such order, shall designate and determine the street or part of street along which such sidewalk shall be constructed, and the time within which the owner or owners of the property along such streets shall build the same. If the owner or owners of any such lot or lots or such lands shall fail to so construct such sidewalks opposite the lot or lots, or lands so owned by him or them within the time limited in said order, the city shall construct such part thereof as such owner or owners have so failed to construct and charge the cost thereof to the lot or lots, or lands, opposite which the city shall have so constructed such sidewalk.

Section 3. Within three days after said order shall have been entered as aforesaid the city marshal of said city shall serve a copy of such order upon the residents or occupants of the lots or lands opposite which such sidewalk is to be constructed personally or by leaving a true copy thereof at the usual place or abode of such owner or occupants in said city. In case any owner or owners of any such lot or lots, or such lands, shall not reside thereon, or in the city of Antigo, or his or their name shall be unknown to the city marshal, then such order shall be served on such non-resident or unknown owner or owners, by publishing the same in some newspaper published in said city, at least once and at least ten days before the expiration of the time limited in said order for the construction of such sidewalk. As soon as the city marshal shall have completed the service of said order as herein provided, he shall make and file with the city clerk his return service, in which he shall state the time, place and manner of service thereof, and in case the order shall have been published, as hereinafter provided, he shall attach to his return, and file therewith the affidavits of the publication thereof in the usual form, subscribed and sworn to by the printer or publisher of the newspaper in which such order shall have been so published.

Section 4. At any time after such order shall have been so entered by the common council as hereinbefore provided, and within the time therein limited, therefor, the owner or owners of the lots or lands opposite which such sidewalk is to be constructed may, at his or their own expense, and in the manner and of the width and material designated in such order, construct such sidewalk opposite the said lots, or lands owned by them respectively.

Section 5. Within the three days after the expiration of the time limited in such order for constructing said sidewalk, the street commissioner of the ward in which said sidewalk is ordered to be built, shall examine the street, part of the street or block, along said sidewalk shall have been ordered to be so constructed, and within said three days shall make and file with the city clerk a report in writing, signed by him, as to the construction of the same. He shall state in such report what part of said side walk, if any, has been and what part, if any, has not been constructed in conformity with such order, and shall describe the lots or part of lots, or lands, if any opposite within the sidewalk has been so constructed as well as the lots or part of lots, or lands, if any, along which said sidewalk has not been so constructed.

Section 6. If it shall appear, by such report of the street commissioner that any part of such sidewalk has not been constructed in conformity with the order aforesaid, the common council shall at its next regular meeting after such report shall have been made and filed, direct the street commissioner to proceed at once to construct, in conformity with said order, such part of said sidewalk as said report shows has not been constructed, and the said street commissioner shall thereupon proceed at once so to construct such part of sidewalk.

Section 7. Immediately upon completion of his work, the street commissioner shall make and file with the clerk a statement in writing, subscribed and sworn to by him, in which he shall state the total expense actually incurred by him in so constructing that part of such sidewalk in front of each lot, or lots or land, opposite which it appears by his report, the owner or owners of such lot or lots, or land has failed as aforesaid to construct sidewalk.

Section 8. At its next regular meeting after such statement shall have been so filed, the common council shall by resolution levy and assess upon each lot or part of lot, lands, opposite which any sidewalk or part of sidewalk shall have been constructed, by said street commissioner as appears by his said statement, a special tax sufficient to pay actual expense incurred in so constructing the same as appears by said statement, and said resolution shall describe each such lots or part of lots, or lands, state the names cl the owners thereof, and compensation of salary for any services.

Miscellaneous Provisions

Section 16. All city or ward officers, at the expiration of their own term of office, or upon their resignation, removal or vacation from office, shall immediately deliver to their successor in office all property, moneys, books, papers, and effects of every description in their possession belonging to the office they may have held. Any person who may have held an office neglecting or refusing so to do for twenty-four hours after the presentment, by his successor, of the city clerk's certificate of his successor's election or appointment and qualifications to the office shall forfeit and pay to the use of said city twenty-four hours refusal, the sum of one hundred dollars and all damages and costs incurred, either by the said city or his successor by reason of such neglect or refusal.

Section 17. The common council of the city of Antigo, or a committee thereof to be appointed thereby for the purpose shall meet with the board of supervisors, of the town of Antigo, at the common council rooms in the city of Antigo, upon six days notice given by either party to the other, by service thereof on the town or city clerk, for the purpose of appropriating and dividing the credits and indebtedness of the town of Antigo, as the same shall be found to be on the first Tuesday of April, 1885.

Section 18. All the credits and liabilities of the town of Antigo, as they shall be found to exist on the first Tuesday of April, 1885, shall be apportioned to the city and town of Antigo on the basis of the last assessment of said town.

Section 19. A certified copy of such apportionment signed by said town board and said common council shall be filed in the office of the town clerk of the town of Antigo, in the office of the city clerk of the city of Antigo, in the county of Langlade, in the county clerk's office and in the county treasury offices and the proportion of the indebtedness due from Langlade county to the town of Antigo, which shall be apportioned to the city of Antigo, shall be paid to the treasurer of said city, and become part of the general fund thereof.

Section 20. The city clerk of the city of Antigo shall insert and levy in the tax roll of said city, for the year 1885, the amount of the indebtedness of the town of Antigo, which shall be apportioned to said city and the treasurer of said city and the treasurer of the town of Antigo, take the receipt therefore, and file the same in the office of the city clerk, and thereupon and thereafter the city of Antigo shall stand released of and from any and all liabilities of said town of Antigo.

General City Charter Adopted

June 27, 1905, the patent of the general city charter which was then adopted by the city of Antigo was received by the city from the Secretary of State. It brought a number of important changes in city government. The Board of Public Works became a more important body. All public work or city improvement jobs exceeding $200 in value were placed under the direction of this board. The power of eminent domain was greatly extended by the general charter and its operation much more complete. Six years before the adoption of the general charter, in 1899, the ordinances of the city of Antigo were ably revised by the then City Attorney Max Hoffman and were published in book form. No revision followed until when on August 2, 1905, the city council directed the City Clerk, A. M. Arveson and City Attorney, E. A. Morse, to re-write and revise the ordinances and have them issued in book form. They at once complied with the directions of the city council and on March 22, 1906, the revised ordinances were published. Since the revision of 1906, 103 ordinances have been passed by the law making body of the city of Antigo.

Present City Ward Boundaries

Antigo as revised, consolidated and amended give the boundaries of the city to-date correct as follows, with the exception of eighty acres of land attached to the city at the time the Langlade Lumber Company was established.

Section 1. - All that district of territory in the county of Langlade hereinafter described, shall be a city by the name of Antigo, and the people now inhabiting, and those who shall inhabit said district, shall be a municipal corporation by the name of Antigo, and shall have the powers hereafter specifically granted, and the authorities thereof shall have perpetual succession, and shall be capable of contracting and being contracted with, suing and being sued, pleading and being impleaded, in all courts of law and equity, and shall have a common seal, and may change and alter the same at pleasure.

Section 2. - All that district of country included in the south half of section nineteen, south half of section twenty, all of section thirty, all of section twentynine, north half of section thirty-one, except that part of the east half of the north-east quarter lying south of the north bank of Spring Brook, and the mill pond, and the north half of section thirty-two, all in township thirty-one north, range eleven east, in Langlade County, Wisconsin, shall comprise and constitute the city of Antigo.

Section 3. - The city of Antigo shall be divided into six wards as follows : All the territory lying north of the center line of Fifth Avenue, extended to the east city limits, and east of the center line of Superior Street and Neva Road continued northeasterly as now used and traveled, to the north limits of the city, shall constitute the First Ward. All the territory lying north of the center of Fifth Avenue, west of Superior Street and Neva Road continued northeasterly as now used and traveled, and east of the main track of the Chicago & Northwestern Railway company, shall comprise the Second Ward. All the territory lying west of the main track of the Chicago & Northwestern railway company, and north of the center line of Fifth Avenue, extended to the western city limits, shall constitute the Third Ward. All the territory lying south of the center of Fifth Avenue, and west of the main track of the Chicago & Northwestern Railway company, shall constitute the Fourth Ward. All the territory lying east of the main track of the Chicago & Northwestern Railway company, south of the center of Fifth Avenue, and west of the center of Superior Street, continued to the southern limits of the city, shall constitute the Fifth Ward. All the territory lying east of the center of Superior Street continued to the southern limits of the city, and south of the center of Fifth Avenue, continued to the eastern city limits, shall constitute the Sixth Ward.