Intergovernmental Cooperation

The City and the Town of Porter are currently negotiating a boundary agreement. Below are documents regarding that decision.

DRAFT Town of Porter City of Evansville Intergovernmental Agreement Map

Draft Town of Porter City of Evansville Intergovernmental Agreement

A public hearing will be held Monday, March 30th, 2026 at 6:00pm at City Hall. All interested parties are invited to attend.

Common Questions

What is an extraterritorial jurisdiction?

Wisconsin law allows cities and villages some control over how lands within 1.5 mile of its boundary divide. This is called extraterritorial jurisdiction (often abbreviated ETJ), and it allows incorporated municipalities better plan how road networks and services (like water and sewer lines) grow as populations expand.

Without a boundary agreement in place, land divisions (typically certified survey maps) in certain parts of the Town of Porter must conform to subdivision regulations in the City of Evansville’s subdivision ordinance.

How Evansville Currently Controls Land Divisions in its ETJ

Briefly, land divisions that the City of Evansville currently allows within its ETJ must meet one of the following criteria: Subdivisions in the ETJ

What does a boundary agreement do?

In this case, a boundary agreement will establish a smaller area in which Evansville exercises its land division control. The City prefers that large areas of land are kept undivided, particularly in areas that may be easier to attach (or annex) to the City at a later date when development using City sewer and water service is ripe.

Is a boundary agreement required?

No. However, having such an agreement in place allows both parties to have some control over how the ETJ managed.

 Is this related to taxing our property? 

A boundary agreement will not change any taxing jurisdiction on your property taxes.

Does this change our coverage for the fire department, EMS, or electric services?

No. All the boundary change accomplishes is changing how and where the City of Evansville has subdivision authority within the Town of Porter.