Wisconsin Administrative Code › Department of Natural Resources › NR 100-199 - Environmental Protection General › Chapter NR 166 - Safe Drinking Water Loan Program › Subchapter III - Priority Scoring and Ranking System › Section NR 166.25 - Project ranking system

Current through June 24, 2024
(1) The department shall maintain a project
				  priority list for each state fiscal year, based on the priority evaluation and
				  ranking information submitted by municipalities under s.
				  NR 166.08
				  (1), and shall rank the projects for which
				  the department has determined priority scores. The projects shall be ranked in
				  the order of descending priority score, with the project with the highest
				  priority score ranked first. The department shall develop an annual funding
				  list consisting of all projects for which applications are submitted under s.
				  NR 166.08 (3) to
				  (5).
(2) If 2 or more projects have the same
				  priority score, the project serving the larger population shall have the higher
				  priority.
(3) Funds shall be
				  allocated to projects in the order in which they appear on the funding list,
				  except that projects may be given priority or removed from the list, upon
				  written notice by the department, if any of the following situations occur:
(a) Ranking the projects in descending order
				  does not result in at least 15 percent of the funds allocated to small systems
				  serving less than 10,000 persons. In this case, systems serving less than
				  10,000 persons shall be given priority until the 15 percent funding allocation
				  requirement is met.
(b) The
				  requirements of s.
				  NR 166.08 (3) to
				  (5) are not met.
(c) A project is canceled, or the funding
				  request is withdrawn by an applicant.
(d) The applicant is unable to provide
				  bidding documentation to the department by a date that allows enough time for a
				  loan closing to occur by the loan closing deadline for the project.
Note:
The amount of time needed between
					 submittal of bidding documentation and loan closing can vary by project.
					 Typically, though, several weeks are needed to accomplish all of the steps that
					 must be taken by various players in the process prior to loan closing - review
					 the bidding documents, prepare a financial assistance agreement, have bond
					 documents drafted, review invoices for the first disbursement of funds, conduct
					 final reviews of the applicant's revenues and expenses, pass a bond resolution
					 and sign the financial assistance agreement, mail signed documents to
					 appropriate agencies, and arrange for the wiring of funds to the municipality's
					 account.
(e) The project
				  fails to meet the engineering review requirements under s.
				  NR 166.10 (2) (b) to
				  (c) or does not have department approval of
				  the project.
(f) The applicant has
				  reached the 25 percent biennial funding cap, as established under s.
				  281.61 (8)
				  (bL), Stats.
Note:
In any biennium, no municipality may
					 receive more than 25 percent of the SDWLP funds projected by DOA to be
					 available for that biennium.
(g) DOA is not satisfied that the
				  municipality has the financial capacity as described in ch. Adm 35 to assure
				  sufficient revenues to operate and maintain the project for its useful life and
				  to pay the debt service on the obligations it issues for the project.
(h) Federal or state refinancing or
				  reimbursement restrictions prevent funding of the project with SDWLP
				  monies.