BRISTOL — On Tuesday, residents of Bristol will have their say on whether or not part of the town becomes a village.

Only residents who live in the proposed village will vote in the special referendum.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Town Hall, 19801 83rd St., and at the Senior Center, 19200 93rd St. (Highway C).

In September, the Wisconsin Department of Administration approved Bristol’s application to incorporate a nine-square-mile hamlet in the northwest portion of the town.

The area is bordered by Highway K to the north, the Des Plaines River to the east, Highway C and a peninsula-like configuration south of Highway C encompassing Lake George to the south and its current border with Salem to the west.

It’s the second time Bristol has sought incorporation. The first try — which included a much larger area — was denied by the state, citing issues with the lack of continuity of developed land and concentration of population, especially to the south.

The scaled-back area was approved because it met the standard that requires substantial urban development to occur within the specified area within three years of the incorporation.

Bristol, however, has no intention of allowing large-scale urban development in the eastern half of the remaining town.

Not a new idea

Dating back to the 1970s, under Town Board Chairman Earl Hollister, the town has contemplated village incorporation in some form, according to Town Administrator Randy Kerkman. Officials have said they want the ability to control their destiny, especially as it relates to growth and development.

Villages have the authority to create their own zoning ordinances, unlike towns which fall under county zoning jurisdiction. Once established, incorporation means a village’s borders with neighboring towns are permanent, and thus, are no longer susceptible to annexation.

Tools for economic development, such as tax incremental financing, are at a village’s disposal, according to Kerkman. Creating a tax incremental finance district would allow Bristol to diversify its economic base, make better use of its sewer capacity and enhance its ability to develop and attract businesses and employment opportunities.

Little change if approved

If the referendum is approved, very little would change for the foreseeable future. That includes the town’s tax rate and taxes levied.

According to the analysis the town prepared in its incorporation application for the state, the village would levy $794,426 in taxes and the town $830,909.

Assessed valuation in the village is estimated at $296.8 million and $311.8 million in the town. The tax rates would also be virtually the same, with $2.67 per $1,000 valuation in the proposed village compared with $2.66 per $1,000 of valuation in the town.

The budget projections for both municipalities in 2010 are also comparable, with the village expected to spend a little more than $1.4 million and the town about $1.3 million.

Should incorporation occur, assets would be split 40-60, with 40 percent assigned to the village and 60 percent to the town based on assessed value.

Keeping it simple

“We tried to keep this as simple as possible for voters to understand, and we’ve had a lot of public meetings — at least seven, so I’m optimistic about our chances (of incorporation),” Kerkman said. “Our goal with the budget was to make sure that our mill rate did not go up.”

The village and the town would share the administration and staff services. The town would still have a town board, and a new village board would be created.

“There’s no duplication in services other than two governing bodies,” he said.

Fire protection, law enforcement, public works services and garbage and recycling collection would be provided equally to each municipality, he said.

One difference is that the village would be responsible for providing the services and would bill the town accordingly.