Town of Hayward Will Comply with Law Following WILL Lawsuit

WILL’s Lawsuit Allowed For Citizens to Interact With Their Government and Weigh in On Public Works Project

The News: The town of Hayward has finally agreed to hold a publicly noticed “special town meeting” that was rightfully and legally requested by residents of the town. The town changed course once a lawsuit was filed by the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) a few weeks ago. The meeting will be held on October 10th.

The Quotes: WILL Associate Counsel, Skylar Croy, stated, “Residents deserve to be heard and no town, municipality, or government entity is above the law. We are pleased to hear the town of Hayward has agreed to honor a ‘special meeting’ following our client’s newly filed petition.”

WILL Client, Brenda Dettloff, added, “When people unite as one voice, together we can move mountains. This is a rare opportunity for the citizens from the North to be heard. The citizens are so grateful that WILL is walking by our side every step of the way and has ensured our right to call a special meeting of the People.”

Background: Hayward held its annual town meeting in April, and pursuant to an obscure statute, was not required to provide public notice (Wis. Stat. § 60.11(5) (2021–22)). Since no notice was provided, the town took advantage of this statute and passed three controversial resolutions.

WILL’s client, Ms. Dettloff, and other citizens have collected signatures to call a “special town meeting,” on four sperate occasions which gives the citizens the ability to reconsider the controversial resolutions under Wis. Stat. §§ 60.12(1)(b) and 60.14(b).

Up until this point, the town clerk refused to hold the meeting and comply with the law. In September, WILL filed a lawsuit against the town of Hayward to follow their legal obligation and give public notice for a special meeting.

Read More: