A bill authored by State Rep. Dave Maxey in the Wisconsin Assembly seeks to require voter approval before local governments can impose or continue a municipal or county wheel tax, according to the Wisconsin State Assembly.
According to the Wisconsin State Legislature’s official website, the bill was described as follows: “local wheel tax referenda. (FE)”.
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
In essence, the bill mandates that any municipal or county wheel tax, an annual vehicle registration fee, can only be implemented if a majority of voters approve it in a referendum held during a regular election. Under current law, local governments can impose such fees without direct voter approval. If a municipality or county has already imposed a wheel tax before the bill becomes effective, they are required to hold a referendum by the 18th month after the bill’s effective date for voters to decide whether the fee should continue. If the majority approves, the fee continues; if not, it must be eliminated after three months following the referendum.
The bill was co-authored by Sen. Rob Hutton (Republican-5th District), Rep. Barbara Dittrich (Republican-99th District), Rep. Rick Gundrum (Republican-58th District), Rep. Brent Jacobson (Republican-87th District), and Rep. Daniel Knodl (Republican-24th District). It was co-sponsored by Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevara (Republican-19th District), Sen. André Jacque (Republican-1st District), and Sen. Chris Kapenga (Republican-33rd District), along with three other co-sponsors.
Dave Maxey has co-authored or authored another 149 bills since the beginning of the 2025 session, with three of them being enacted.
Maxey graduated from Waukesha County Technical College in 2002 with an AA.
Maxey, a Republican, was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2025 to represent the state’s 83rd Assembly district, replacing previous state representative Nik Rettinger.
In Wisconsin, the legislative process starts when a senator, constituent, group, or agency proposes an idea for a bill. After drafting, the bill is introduced, numbered, and referred to a committee for review and public input. If approved, it moves through three readings and votes in both the Senate and Assembly. Once both chambers pass the same version, the bill goes to the governor, who can sign it, veto it, or let it become law without a signature. Only a small share of bills introduced each session ultimately become law. You can learn more about the Wisconsin legislative process here.
| Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|
| AB483 | 10/09/2025 | Local wheel tax referenda. (FE) |
| AB409 | 08/29/2025 | Passing certain vehicles stopped on or near a highway and providing a penalty |
| AB391 | 08/29/2025 | The per pupil adjustment for school district revenue limits. (FE) |
| AB374 | 07/17/2025 | Compliance with the federal Electoral Count Reform Act. (FE) |
| AB370 | 07/17/2025 | Crime victim notification cards. (FE) |
| AB311 | 06/06/2025 | Changing an individual’s sex on a birth certificate |
| AB292 | 05/30/2025 | The use of artificial intelligence or other machine assisted translation in court proceedings and of telephone or live audiovisual interpretation in criminal trials. (FE) |
| AB266 | 05/19/2025 | The fee for filing limited liability company articles of organization with the Department of Financial Institutions. (FE) |
| AB248 | 05/08/2025 | Vacancies in appointive state offices |
| AB241 | 05/02/2025 | Required ratio of journeyworkers to apprentices in apprenticeship programs and contracts |
| AB235 | 05/02/2025 | Workforce literacy grant program. (FE) |
| AB175 | 04/15/2025 | Requiring periodic inspections of parking structures |
| AB166 | 04/08/2025 | Academic and career planning services provided to pupils and requiring the reporting of certain data on college student costs and outcomes. (FE) |
| AB165 | 04/08/2025 | Local guaranteed income programs |
| AB160 | 04/02/2025 | Eliminating daylight saving time in Wisconsin |
| AB157 | 04/02/2025 | Prohibiting filing or recording contracts for services or materials that do not improve real estate and providing a penalty. (FE) |
| AB146 | 03/17/2025 | Requests for information from employers about unemployment insurance claims |
| AB143 | 03/17/2025 | Allowing an unlicensed person to use a motor vehicle and providing a penalty |
| AB81 | 02/28/2025 | Excluding expenditures funded by referenda from shared costs for the purpose of determining equalization aid for school districts. (FE) |
| AB70 | 02/24/2025 | A disclaimer of parental rights and payments allowed in connection with an adoption |
| AB47 | 02/17/2025 | Tuition and fee remission for certain veterans and their dependents enrolled in the University of Wisconsin System or a technical college. (FE) |
