The decades-long border fight between Lisbon and Sussex might finally be over. Here's why.
A decades-long feud between the town of Lisbon and the village of Sussex could be over after the communities came to two agreements over their borders.
Under both agreements, 61 parcels of land and 49 homes that are now in Lisbon would become part of Sussex. Most of the parcels are along the Lisbon-Sussex border near the intersection of Maple Avenue and Good Hope Road.
The other properties are scattered along the town-village borders in the north-central section of the town, according to town documents. Under state law, the eligible voters residing in those homes will be the only voters allowed to cast ballots in a referendum seeking approval of the initial agreement between the town and village, Lisbon Town Administrator Kathy Nickolaus explained.
The referendum will appear on the April 5 ballot.
If the referendum fails, the secondary agreement would go into effect. Nickolaus said that agreement has more components.
Under the secondary agreement, the amount of sewer and water services the town is entitled to receive from the village would increase, according to town documents.
That agreement would also call for an additional exchange of land between Lisbon and Sussex, Nickolaus said.
Nickolaus confirmed that Lannon Stone Co. quarries, which are currently in the village, would be transferred to the town under the second agreement. Also under that agreement, about 80 acres of farmland near Highway 164 and Richmond Road would be transferred from the town to the village.
The initial agreement was approved by the town in August 2020 and by the village in December 2020.
The Lisbon Town Board on Jan. 24 unanimously approved the second agreement and also voted to send the referendum related to the first agreement to voters on April 5. The Sussex Village Board followed with its own approval on Jan. 25.
Sussex Administrator Jeremy Smith said the pact could end the discord between the two communities, which has been going on for decades, especially over the town's multiple efforts to incorporate as a village.
"That is the strategy, and what we are hoping," said Smith.
Nickolaus said the border agreement will help the town in its quest toward incorporation as a village. Towns are subject to annexation by neighboring villages and cities, whereas villages are not.
"We want to incorporate to protect the municipal boundaries and to secure our tax base," said Nickolaus. "There is still paperwork; this is just the border agreement that will help us in the future."
Cathy Kozlowicz can be reached at 262-361-9132 or cathy.kozlowicz@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @kozlowicz_cathy.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Waukesha County communities might soon end decades-long border fight
