Town of Rib Mountain v. Marathon County

*635 ¶1 In 1957, the Wisconsin legislature conferred authority on counties to "establish a rural naming or numbering system in towns for the purpose of aiding in fire protection, emergency services, and civil defense." Wis. Stat. § 59.54 (4) (2017-18). Marathon County decided to establish such a system in 2016 but the Town of Rib Mountain challenged its authority to do so, contending the statute confines counties to implementing naming and numbering systems only within "rural" areas of towns. Marathon County maintains that the only territorial restriction on its authority to establish a "rural…