Wis. Stat. § 13.48 — WI Code / Chapter 13 / Section 13.48
Long-range public building program.
Status: in_force

(1) Policy. The legislature finds and determines that it is necessary to improve the adequacy of the public building facilities that are required by the various state agencies including the educational institutions, for the proper performance of their duties and functions, and that it is in the interest of economy, efficiency and the public welfare that such improvement be accomplished by means of a long-range public building program, with funds to be provided by successive legislatures. The long-range program shall include the necessary lands, new buildings, and all facilities and equipment required and also the remodeling, reconstruction, maintenance and reequipping of existing buildings and facilities, as determined by the building commission.

(1m) Historic properties.

(a) In this subsection, “historic property” means any building, structure or site which is any of the following:

1. Listed on, or has been nominated by the state historical society for listing on, the national register of historic places in Wisconsin or the state register of historic places.

2. Included in a district which is listed on, or has been nominated by the state historical society for listing on, the national register of historic places in Wisconsin or the state register of historic places, and has been determined by the state historical society to contribute to the historic significance of the district.

3. Included on a list of properties which have been determined by the state historical society to be eligible for listing on the national register of historic places in Wisconsin or the state register of historic places.

(b) The long-range public building program shall recognize the importance of historic properties and shall include a program of preservation and restoration of those historic properties under the control of the state as provided in s. 44.41 , including criteria for determining which historic properties should be preserved and restored.

(c) The long-range public building program shall require the biennial review of each historic property under the control of the state to determine the current uses of the property and state agency compliance with the requirements of the long-range program.

(d) The building commission shall allocate, from that portion of the state building program funding which is available to all state agencies, an amount of funds deemed necessary by the building commission for the preservation, restoration and maintenance of historic properties under the control of the state.

(e) Notwithstanding par. (b) , the building commission may grant waivers under s. 44.39 (5) .

(2) Building commission; powers and duties.

(a) There is created a building commission consisting of the governor, who shall serve as chairperson, and 3 senators and 3 representatives to the assembly appointed as are the members of standing committees in their respective houses. The 2 major political parties shall be represented in the membership from each house. One legislator from each house shall be a member of the state supported programs study and advisory committee created by s. 13.47 . One citizen member shall be appointed by the governor to serve at the governor’s pleasure. The secretary, head of the engineering function, and ranking architect of the department of administration shall be nonvoting advisory members. The building commission shall bear a title beginning with the words “State of Wisconsin”. The members shall be liable only for misconduct. Nonlegislator members of the building commission shall be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses, incurred as members of the building commission, from the appropriation under s. 20.505 .

(b)

1. The building commission shall have all the powers necessary to carry out its duties and may accept all donations, gifts and bequests made to the state for public building purposes, including any grants made by the federal government, and apply the same in accordance with the terms of the grant or the wishes of the donors, insofar as such is practicable. The building commission with respect to any of such buildings shall have all the powers so far as applicable as were conferred by law on the state office building commission with respect to the state office building.

1m. The University of Wisconsin System may not accept any gift, grant or bequest of real property with a value in excess of $150,000 or any gift, grant or bequest of a building or structure that is constructed for the benefit of the system or any institution thereof without the approval of the building commission. This subdivision does not apply to agricultural land acquired by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System under s. 36.33 (1) .

2. In the construction of all new buildings or additions to existing buildings used for housing state offices and constructed for general state purposes and not specially for the use of any particular state agency, the building commission shall function with respect to such construction in the same manner as other state agencies function with respect to buildings constructed for such agencies. The building commission shall fix the rental for all space in such buildings, and, notwithstanding any other statute, may remove to any building any department housed in the state capitol. After the completion of such buildings, they shall be in the charge of the department of administration as provided by s. 16.84 .

3. Except as provided in sub. (14) (am) , the building commission may lease space in buildings described under subd. 2. to other governmental bodies or to nonprofit associations organized for public purposes and shall charge those bodies or associations an annual rental which shall be not less than the cost of operating, maintaining and amortizing the construction cost of the leased space.

(c) The building commission may employ, outside the classified service, staff or consultants and fix the salary or conditions of such employment.

(d) The building commission, for the purpose of carrying out s. 36.33 relating to the sale and purchase of agricultural lands of the University of Wisconsin, may authorize the advance of sums from the state building trust fund for the purchase price, including option payments, of agricultural lands to be acquired by the University of Wisconsin and for expenses incurred in selling agricultural lands presently owned by the University of Wisconsin, including, without limitation because of enumeration, expenses of surveying, platting, constructing and improving streets and utilities and drainage in such a way as to realize the greatest return to the state in the sale of such lands, and other selling expenses. All such sums advanced shall be repaid to the state building trust fund from the appropriation made by s. 20.285 (1) (gb) .

(e)

1. During each regular session, the building commission shall submit to the chief clerk of each house of the legislature, for distribution to the legislature under s. 13.172 (2) , a report on the progress on projects authorized in the 2 preceding and current biennia including the total project budget, the encumbrance and expenditure to date, and the unencumbered balance remaining for each project. Such report shall either be made as part of the biennial building program or shall accompany same.

2. It is the intent of the legislature that it be given a complete picture of the results of its past decisions regarding the state’s building program which will serve as background for making further decisions.

(f) The building commission may allocate funds from the state building trust fund or other sources available to them to equip any University of Wisconsin System college campus, as defined in s. 36.05 (6m) , if the facilities have been provided by the counties or other units of local government under s. 66.0913 or 67.04 and the operation of the college campus has been approved by the board of regents of the University of Wisconsin System.

(g) The building commission shall review assessments on property of the state under s. 66.0703 (6) .

(h)

1. In this paragraph:

a. “Active solar energy system” means a solar energy system which operates with mechanical means, including but not limited to motors, pumps and valves.

b. “Energy” means work or heat produced from any source.

c. “Passive solar energy system” means a solar energy system which operates without mechanical means.

d. “Photovoltaic solar energy system” means a solar energy system which converts solar energy directly into electricity.

e. “Renewable energy resource system” means a solar energy system or a wind energy system. “Renewable energy resource system” does not include any equipment which would be present as part of a conventional energy system; any equipment which would be present as part of a system primarily used to heat a swimming pool; or a passive solar system which serves a dual purpose, as defined by the building commission by rule. “Dual purpose” includes, but is not limited to, a passive solar system serving also as a structural component, a greenhouse or a living space.

f. “Solar energy” means radiant energy received from the sun.

g. “Solar energy system” means equipment which directly converts and then transfers or stores solar energy into usable forms of thermal or electrical energy.

2. The building commission may not authorize the release of funds for bidding and construction of any new building, structure, major remodeling or building addition as enumerated in the authorized state building program as required by s. 20.924 (1) (a) and (b) , or such other projects as the building commission determines to be appropriate, unless the design concept does all of the following for purposes of space heating and cooling and water heating:

a. Provide maximum practical use of passive solar energy system design elements, including daylight lighting designs.

b. Offer life-cycle cost estimates of the energy resource consuming system of the facility.

c. Unless not justified on the basis of a technical and economic feasibility evaluation, incorporate an active solar energy system or photovoltaic solar energy system or other renewable energy resource system.

(i) In this paragraph, “life-cycle costing” means an economic evaluation of purchases or capital construction which considers all relevant costs associated with each purchase or building during its economic life, including, but not limited to, energy costs, acquisition and conversion, money, transportation, warehousing and distribution, training, operation and maintenance and disposition or resale. The building commission shall establish procedures requiring life-cycle costing for the design and location of any new building, structure, major remodeling or building addition as enumerated in the authorized state building program under s. 20.924 (1) (a) and (b) , and for such other projects as the building commission determines to be appropriate. The building commission may not authorize the release of funds for construction of any new building, structure, major remodeling or building addition unless the requirements of the life-cycle costing procedures have been satisfied.

(k)

1. In designing the construction or renovation of central steam generating facilities, the building commission shall employ a design for the cogeneration of steam and electricity unless the building commission determines that such a design is not cost-effective and technically feasible. The building commission may not release funds for the construction of a new central steam generating facility unless the requirements of this subdivision have been satisfied.

2. To the greatest extent cost-effective and technically feasible, the building commission shall ensure that state owned or operated steam generating facilities are designed to allow the use of biomass fuels and refuse-derived fuels.

(L) From the appropriation under s. 20.867 (3) (x) , the building commission may supplement authorized state building program project budgets to offset cost overruns resulting from an increase in price levels due to inflation. Moneys cannot be expended under this paragraph without the approval of the joint committee on finance.

(3) State building trust fund. In the interest of the continuity of the program, the moneys appropriated to the state building trust fund under s. 20.867 (2) (f) shall be retained as a nonlapsing building depreciation reserve. Such moneys shall be deposited into the state building trust fund. At such times as the building commission directs, or in emergency situations under s. 16.855 (16) (b) , the governor shall authorize releases from this fund to become available for projects and shall direct the department of administration to allocate from this fund such amounts as are approved for these projects. In issuing such directions, the building commission shall consider the cash balance in the state building trust fund, the necessity and urgency of the proposed improvement, employment conditions and availability of materials in the locality in which the improvement is to be made. The building commission may authorize any project costing $1,000,000 or less or, beginning in fiscal year 2023-24, $2,000,000 or less in accordance with priorities to be established by the building commission and may adjust the priorities by deleting, substituting or adding new projects as needed to reflect changing program needs and unforeseen circumstances. The building commission may enter into contracts for the construction of buildings for any state agency, except a project authorized under sub. (10) (c) , and shall be responsible for accounting for all funds released to projects. The building commission may designate the department of administration or the agency for which the project is constructed to act as its representative in such accounting.

(4) State agencies to report proposed projects. Whenever any state agency contemplates a project under the state building program it shall report the project to the building commission. The report shall be made on such date and in such manner as the building commission prescribes. This subsection does not apply to projects identified in sub. (10) (c) .

(5) Assistance to building commission.

(a) The department of administration shall assist the building commission in the performance of its duties. The department of administration shall, when requested by the building commission, make or cause to be made such studies, preliminary plans and specifications and cost estimates with respect to any proposed project as are necessary to permit the building commission to consider intelligently the approval or disapproval of the project and the appropriation of funds. The costs of such studies shall be charged against the building trust fund.

(b) Whenever the building commission considers any proposal for the construction of a new correctional institution or the expansion of an existing correctional institution, the department of administration shall provide the commission with information concerning annual operating costs, including staffing costs, that will result from such construction or expansion in connection with consideration of that proposal.

(6) Review of projects. All reports submitted as provided by sub. (4) shall be reviewed by the building commission, which shall make its report as soon after November 20 as is possible. Such report shall include specific recommendations and establish priorities for the next 3 biennia from among all projects submitted which the building commission deems essential and shall recommend additional appropriations if necessary for the execution thereof. The building commission shall include in the report any projects proposed by the state fair park board involving a cost of not more than $300,000, together with the method of financing proposed for those projects by the board, without recommendation. Beginning in fiscal year 2023-24, this amount is $600,000. The building commission shall include in its report an appraisal and recommendation of available and alternative methods of financing buildings for the use of state agencies and shall file copies of its report with the governor-elect.

(7) Biennial recommendations. The building commission shall prepare and formally adopt recommendations for the long-range state building program on a biennial basis. The building commission shall include in its report any projects proposed by the state fair park board involving a cost of not more than $300,000, together with the method of financing those projects proposed by the board, without recommendation. Beginning in fiscal year 2023-24, this amount is $600,000. Unless a later date is requested by the building commission and approved by the joint committee on finance, the building commission shall, no later than the first Tuesday in April of each odd-numbered year, transmit the report prepared by the department of administration under s. 16.40 (20) and the commission’s recommendations for the succeeding fiscal biennium that require legislative approval to the joint committee on finance in the form of proposed legislation prepared in proper form.

(8) Expansion at Green Bay Correctional Institution outside of walls prohibited. Further expansion at Green Bay Correctional Institution outside of the walls is prohibited.

(10) Approval by building commission.

(a) Except as provided in par. (c) , no state board, agency, officer, department, commission, or body corporate may enter into a contract for the construction, reconstruction, remodeling of, or addition to any building, structure, or facility, in connection with any building project which involves a cost in excess of $300,000 without completion of final plans and arrangement for supervision of construction and prior approval by the building commission. Beginning in fiscal year 2023-24, this amount is $600,000. This section applies to the department of transportation only in respect to buildings, structures, and facilities to be used for administrative or operating functions, including buildings, land, and equipment to be used for the motor vehicle emission inspection and maintenance program under s. 110.20 .

(b) This subsection does not apply to any of the following:

1. Contracts by the department of natural resources for construction work related to hazardous substance spill response under s. 292.11 or environmental repair under s. 292.31 .

2. Projects approved by the governor in response to emergency situations under s. 16.855 (16) (b) or to allocations from the appropriation made under s. 20.867 (2) for special category projects when the building commission has released funds under sub. (3) and has also approved a plan for the expenditure of those funds. “Special category projects” for the purpose of this subdivision include projects such as special maintenance, energy conservation, handicapped access and advance property acquisition designated by the building commission.

3. Construction or improvement projects of the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority.

3m. Rehabilitation projects of the Fox River Navigational System Authority.

4. Build-operate-lease or transfer agreements by the department of transportation for transportation projects under s. 84.01 (30) .

5. Contracts for construction of any building, structure or facility for the state fair park board involving a cost of not more than $300,000. Beginning in fiscal year 2023-24, this amount is $600,000.