Town of Washington submits incorporation petition to DOA, board has 180 days to review

By: Toby Mohr//November 5, 2025//WQOW

EAU CLAIRE COUNTY (WQOW) – The Town of Washington has now submitted the petition to incorporate into a village to the Wisconsin Department of Administration incorporation review board. Town chair Bob Solberg says this is now the biggest step in the process.

The town’s petition was approved in circuit court in July, allowing it to move on to the DOA. The review board now has 180 days to deny, approve, or recommend changes to the petition. If approved, incorporation would move on to a town-wide referendum vote.

If Washington becomes a village, the neighboring cities of Eau Claire and Altoona would no longer be able to annex land or exercise extra-territorial zoning review of land within the incorporated village limits.

“The development that occurs within the village would be determined by the village and it’s residents,” Solberg said. “It would not look like the City of Eau Claire development, it would look much more like the residential developments we already have within the town.”

Eau Claire and Altoona have both annexed Town of Washington land for high-density housing developments in recent years, the Orchard Hills development in Eau Claire and the Whitetail Woods development in Altoona. While the town’s incorporation petition is in the review process, no annexations can occur.

The incorporation review board will include a public hearing on the town’s petition.

The City of Eau Claire has entered as an “interested party” in this case. City attorney Steve Nick said Wednesday the city has not yet received the petition submitted to the DOA. He said the city will review the petition when provided notice of the filing and “respond with information on the community impact and other statutory factors the Department of Administration is required to review and the petition must meet prior to incorporation.”