State of Wisconsin
Department of Administration
Madison
August 31, 2004
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
The Wisconsin Land Council (WLC) and the Wisconsin Land Information Board (WLIB) submit the attached Report to the Governor and Legislature in compliance with the provisions of §
16.023 (2). Wis. Stats., and
2003 Act 33, Section
2809.
Our report strongly supports continuation of the Wisconsin Land Information Program. Every Wisconsin citizen has benefited from this program through more modern and accessible land records. The digitization of land information enables the public and all levels of government to make informed decisions using standardized, reliable data.
The report also recommends support for the Comprehensive Planning Grant Program. About 645 local governments - or one-third of all counties and municipalities - are using this state resource to support local planning decisions. This will continue to be a critical resource as additional communities prepare for growth and future service needs.
We also recognize the Governor's and Legislature's desire to reduce the size of State government. To that end, the report calls for the sunset of the WLC and the WLIB. Instead, we recommend using existing structures to support the land information and comprehensive planning grant programs.
The WLC and the WLIB appreciate this opportunity to report on activities and recommend future directions. We ask that you consider our comments as you develop land information and planning policies.
Sincerely,
Mayor Timothy M. Hanna, Chair
Wisconsin Land Council
Ted W. Koch, Chair
Wisconsin Land Information Board
Referred to committee on Property Rights and Land Management.
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources
Madison
August 31, 2004
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
We at the Department of Natural Resources are pleased to provide you with a copy of our annual Wisconsin Environmental Policy Act (WEPA) report. In fulfillment of Section
1.11 (2)(j) of the state statutes, this document provides information on the numbers of environmental assessments (EAs) and environmental impact statements (EIs) completed by the department in the past fiscal year.
Questions about the report can be directed to James Pardee, of the Environmental Analysis and Liaison Section Bureau of Integrated Science Services, telephone 6-0426.
Sincerely,
George Albright
Chief Environmental Analysis and Liaison Section, Bureau of Integrated Science Services
Referred to committee on Natural Resources.
__________________
DATE: August 31, 2004
TO: Patrick E. Fuller
Chief Clerk, Wisconsin Assembly
Robert Marchant
Chief Clerk, Wisconsin Senate
FROM: Katharine C. Lyall
President, UW System
RE: Report under s.
36.55, Wisconsin Statutes
Enclosed please find the report required under s.
36.55, Wisconsin Statutes for the period July 1, 2002 to June 30, 2004.
Referred to committee on Colleges and Universities.
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Public Service Commission
Madison
September 2, 2004
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
The enclosed audit report on Alliant Energy Corporation and its impact on the operations of Wisconsin Power and Light Company was prepared as required by Wis. Stat. §
196.795 (7)(ar) for distribution to the Legislature under Wis. Stat. §
13.172 (2).
If you have any questions or comments about the report please contact Ms. Diane Braun of the Commission staff at (608) 267-1200.
Sincerely,
Lynda L. Dorr
Secretary of the Commission
Referred to committee on Energy and Utilities.
Agency Reports
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
Madison
September 9, 2004
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
As requested by the Public Service Commission (PSC), we have completed a financial audit of the Universal Service Fund, which was established to ensure that all state residents receive essential telecommunications services and have access to advanced telecommunications capabilities. Our audit report contains our unqualified opinion on the Fund's financial statements and related notes for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2003 and 2002.
The Universal Service Fund is funded through assessments on telecommunications providers, which totaled $23.1 million in fiscal year (FY) 2002-03. The largest program supported by the Fund is the Educational Telecommunications Access Program, which is administered by the Department of Administration and subsidizes new and existing data lines and video links to public and private K-12 schools, colleges, public libraries, and others. In FY 2002-03, expenditures for these activities were $18.0 million, or 61.4 percent of the Universal Service Fund's total expenditures and transfers.
Eight of the 12 programs supported by the Fund are operated by the PSC. As we reported in past audits, expenditures for PSC-operated programs historically had been significantly less than the amounts budgeted. In response, the Legislature in
2001 Wisconsin Act 16 limited the amount of assessments to support the PSC-operated programs to $5.0 million in FY 2003-04 and $6.0 million in FY 2004-05. The level of expenditures for the PSC-operated programs has been increasing, and in FY 2002-03 it was close to the limit on assessment levels.
As a result of legislative action, the Universal Service Fund was required to lapse nearly $4.0 million to the General Fund during the 2001-03 biennium. It had an accounting balance of $4.2 million as of June 30, 2003, which is a 58.8 percent decrease from the $10.2 million accounting balance as of June 30, 2002.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by the staff at the PSC, the Department of Administration, and the Fund's administrator, Wipfli Young, during the audit.
Respectfully submitted,
Janice Mueller
State Auditor
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
Madison
September 10, 2004
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
We have completed a review of the Environmental Cooperation Pilot Program (ECPP), which was established in
1997 Wisconsin Act 27. The pilot program is administered by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and is intended to test and evaluate innovative environmental regulations for maintaining the protection of public health and the environment. The Legislative Audit Bureau is required by statutes to monitor and report annually on this pilot program.
While DNR has successfully executed seven five-year agreements with six different companies, it has not yet established a methodology to collect and evaluate information about the innovative environmental regulatory methods implemented under the program. As a result, it does not have the information necessary to determine the applicability of innovations to other companies, the feasibility of extending this program's reduced reporting and monitoring requirements to more businesses, and the effect of innovative environmental regulations on its own administrative duties.
2003 Wisconsin Act 276 created the Environmental Results Program, commonly referred to as "Green Tier." This program aims to encourage enhanced compliance with environmental regulations and provides incentives to businesses that meet higher environmental standards while at the same time implementing environmental programs. DNR officials indicate that ECPP participants are eligible to transfer to the Environmental Results Program before the agreements are completed, however, four of the six companies indicate they plan to remain in ECPP. We include a recommendation for DNR to seek legislative approval should it attempt to terminate any existing ECPP agreements.
I hope you find this information useful. Please contact me if you have additional questions.
Sincerely,
Janice Mueller
State Auditor
