Wis. Stat. § 66.1109 — WI Code / Chapter 66 / Section 66.1109
Business improvement districts.
Status: in_force

(1) In this section:

(a) “Board” means a business improvement district board appointed under sub. (3) (a) .

(b) “Business improvement district” means an area within a municipality consisting of contiguous parcels and may include railroad rights-of-way, rivers, or highways continuously bounded by the parcels on at least one side, and shall include parcels that are contiguous to the district but that were not included in the original or amended boundaries of the district because the parcels were tax-exempt when the boundaries were determined and such parcels became taxable after the original or amended boundaries of the district were determined.

(c) “Chief executive officer” means a mayor, city manager, village president or town chairperson.

(d) “Local legislative body” means a common council, village board of trustees or town board of supervisors.

(e) “Municipality” means a city, village or town.

(f) “Operating plan” means a plan adopted or amended under this section for the development, redevelopment, maintenance, operation and promotion of a business improvement district, including all of the following:

1. The special assessment method applicable to the business improvement district.

1m. Whether real property used exclusively for manufacturing purposes will be specially assessed.

2. The kind, number and location of all proposed expenditures within the business improvement district.

3. A description of the methods of financing all estimated expenditures and the time when related costs will be incurred.

4. A description of how the creation of the business improvement district promotes the orderly development of the municipality, including its relationship to any municipal master plan.

5. A legal opinion that subds. 1. to 4. have been complied with.

(g) “Planning commission” means a plan commission under s. 62.23 , or if none a board of public land commissioners, or if none a planning committee of the local legislative body.

(2) A municipality may create a business improvement district and adopt its operating plan if all of the following are met:

(a) An owner of real property used for commercial purposes and located in the proposed business improvement district designated under par. (b) has petitioned the municipality for creation of a business improvement district.

(b) The planning commission has designated a proposed business improvement district and adopted its proposed initial operating plan.

(c) At least 30 days before creation of the business improvement district and adoption of its initial operating plan by the municipality, the planning commission has held a public hearing on its proposed business improvement district and initial operating plan. Notice of the hearing shall be published as a class 2 notice under ch. 985 . Before publication, a copy of the notice together with a copy of the proposed initial operating plan and a copy of a detail map showing the boundaries of the proposed business improvement district shall be sent by certified mail to all owners of real property within the proposed business improvement district. The notice shall state the boundaries of the proposed business improvement district and shall indicate that copies of the proposed initial operating plan are available from the planning commission on request.

(d) Within 30 days after the hearing under par. (c) , the owners of property to be assessed under the proposed initial operating plan having a valuation equal to more than 40 percent of the valuation of all property to be assessed under the proposed initial operating plan, using the method of valuation specified in the proposed initial operating plan, or the owners of property to be assessed under the proposed initial operating plan having an assessed valuation equal to more than 40 percent of the assessed valuation of all property to be assessed under the proposed initial operating plan, have not filed a petition with the planning commission protesting the proposed business improvement district or its proposed initial operating plan.

(e) The local legislative body has voted to adopt the proposed initial operating plan for the municipality.

(2m) A municipality may annex territory to an existing business improvement district if all of the following are met:

(a) An owner of real property used for commercial purposes and located in the territory proposed to be annexed has petitioned the municipality for annexation.

(b) The planning commission has approved the annexation.

(c) At least 30 days before annexation of the territory, the planning commission has held a public hearing on the proposed annexation. Notice of the hearing shall be published as a class 2 notice under ch. 985 . Before publication, a copy of the notice together with a copy of a detail map showing the boundaries of the territory proposed to be annexed to the business improvement district shall be sent by certified mail to all owners of real property within the territory proposed to be annexed. The notice shall state the boundaries of the territory proposed to be annexed.

(d) Within 30 days after the hearing under par. (c) , the owners of property in the territory to be annexed that would be assessed under the operating plan having a valuation equal to more than 40 percent of the valuation of all property in the territory to be annexed that would be assessed under the operating plan, using the method of valuation specified in the operating plan, or the owners of property in the territory to be annexed that would be assessed under the operating plan having an assessed valuation equal to more than 40 percent of the assessed valuation of all property in the territory to be annexed that would be assessed under the operating plan, have not filed a petition with the planning commission protesting the annexation.

(3)

(a) The chief executive officer shall appoint members to a business improvement district board to implement the operating plan. Board members shall be confirmed by the local legislative body and shall serve staggered terms designated by the local legislative body. The board shall have at least 5 members. A majority of board members shall own or occupy real property in the business improvement district.

(b) The board shall annually consider and may make changes to the operating plan, which may include termination of the plan, for its business improvement district. The board shall then submit the operating plan to the local legislative body for its approval. If the local legislative body disapproves the operating plan, the board shall consider and may make changes to the operating plan and may continue to resubmit the operating plan until local legislative body approval is obtained. Any change to the special assessment method applicable to the business improvement district shall be approved by the local legislative body.

(c) The board shall prepare and make available to the public annual reports describing the current status of the business improvement district, including expenditures and revenues. The report shall include one of the following:

1. If the cash balance in the segregated account described under sub. (4) equaled or exceeded $300,000 at any time during the period covered by the report, the municipality shall obtain an independent certified audit of the implementation of the operating plan.

2. If the cash balance in the segregated account described under sub. (4) was less than $300,000 at all times during the period covered by the report, the municipality shall obtain a reviewed financial statement for the most recently completed fiscal year. The statement shall be prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and include a review of the financial statement by an independent certified public accountant.

(cg) For calendar years beginning after December 31, 2018, the dollar amount at which a municipality is required to obtain an independent certified audit under par. (c) 1. and the dollar amount at which a municipality is required to obtain a reviewed financial statement under par. (c) 2. shall be increased each year by a percentage equal to the percentage change between the U.S. consumer price index for all urban consumers, U.S. city average, for the month of August of the previous year and the U.S. consumer price index for all urban consumers, U.S. city average, for the month of August 2017, as determined by the federal department of labor. Each amount that is revised under this paragraph shall be rounded to the nearest multiple of $10 if the revised amount is not a multiple of $10 or, if the revised amount is a multiple of $5, such an amount shall be increased to the next higher multiple of $10.

(cr) The municipality shall obtain an additional independent certified audit of the implementation of the operating plan upon termination of the business improvement district.

(d) Either the board or the municipality, as specified in the operating plan as adopted, or amended and approved under this section, has all powers necessary or convenient to implement the operating plan, including the power to contract.

(4) All special assessments received from a business improvement district and all other appropriations by the municipality or other moneys received for the benefit of the business improvement district shall be placed in a segregated account in the municipal treasury. No disbursements from the account may be made except to reimburse the municipality for appropriations other than special assessments, to pay the costs of audits and reviewed financial statements required under sub. (3) (c) , or on order of the board for the purpose of implementing the operating plan. On termination of the business improvement district by the municipality, all moneys collected by special assessment remaining in the account shall be disbursed to the owners of specially assessed property in the business improvement district, in the same proportion as the last collected special assessment.

(4g) A municipality may convert a business improvement district under this section into a neighborhood improvement district under s. 66.1110 if an owner of real property that is subject to general real estate taxes, that is used exclusively for residential purposes, and that is located in the business improvement district petitions the municipality for the conversion. If the municipality approves the petition, the board shall consider and may make changes to the operating plan under s. 66.1110 (4) (b) .

(4m) A municipality shall terminate a business improvement district if the owners of property assessed under the operating plan having a valuation equal to more than 50 percent of the valuation of all property assessed under the operating plan, using the method of valuation specified in the operating plan, or the owners of property assessed under the operating plan having an assessed valuation equal to more than 50 percent of the assessed valuation of all property assessed under the operating plan, file a petition with the planning commission requesting termination of the business improvement district, subject to all of the following conditions:

(a) A petition may not be filed under this subsection earlier than one year after the date the municipality first adopts the operating plan for the business improvement district.

(b) On and after the date a petition is filed under this subsection, neither the board nor the municipality may enter into any new obligations by contract or otherwise to implement the operating plan until the expiration of 30 days after the date of hearing under par. (c) and unless the business improvement district is not terminated under par. (e) .

(c) Within 30 days after the filing of a petition under this subsection, the planning commission shall hold a public hearing on the proposed termination. Notice of the hearing shall be published as a class 2 notice under ch. 985 . Before publication, a copy of the notice together with a copy of the operating plan and a copy of a detail map showing the boundaries of the business improvement district shall be sent by certified mail to all owners of real property within the business improvement district. The notice shall state the boundaries of the business improvement district and shall indicate that copies of the operating plan are available from the planning commission on request.

(d) Within 30 days after the date of hearing under par. (c) , every owner of property assessed under the operating plan may send written notice to the planning commission indicating, if the owner signed a petition under this subsection, that the owner retracts the owner’s request to terminate the business improvement district, or, if the owner did not sign the petition, that the owner requests termination of the business improvement district.

(e) If after the expiration of 30 days after the date of hearing under par. (c) , by petition under this subsection or subsequent notification under par. (d) , and after subtracting any retractions under par. (d) , the owners of property assessed under the operating plan having a valuation equal to more than 50 percent of the valuation of all property assessed under the operating plan, using the method of valuation specified in the operating plan, or the owners of property assessed under the operating plan having an assessed valuation equal to more than 50 percent of the assessed valuation of all property assessed under the operating plan, have requested the termination of the business improvement district, the municipality shall terminate the business improvement district on the date that the obligation with the latest completion date entered into to implement the operating plan expires.

(5)

(a) Real property used exclusively for residential purposes and real property that is exempted from general property taxes under s. 70.11 may not be specially assessed for purposes of this section.

(b) A municipality may terminate a business improvement district at any time.

(c) This section does not limit the power of a municipality under other law to regulate the use of or specially assess real property.

(d) If real property that is specially assessed as authorized under this section is of mixed use such that part of the real property is exempted from general property taxes under s. 70.11 or is residential, or both, and part of the real property is taxable, the municipality may specially assess as authorized under this section only the percentage of the real property that is not tax-exempt or residential. This paragraph applies only to a 1st class city.

History: 1983 a. 184 ; 1989 a. 56 s. 258 ; 1999 a. 150 s. 539 ; Stats. 1999 s. 66.1109; 2001 a. 85 ; 2017 a. 59 , 70 , 189 .