City of Fond Du Lac v. Town of Empire

The defendants vigorously contend that they had ample authority to enact the three ordinances. It is conceded that the town board has been granted the powers of a village board.

The powers of villages are derived solely from the state through the legislature, except where the people of the state by a constitutional home-rule provision vest the village with some degree of local sovereignty. The legislature of Wisconsin has never been hostile to granting a large measure of local self-government to villages and cities. Some attempts to do so by the legislature have been held to be unlawful…