AB478: Bill Text

LRB-3376/1

MES:sac:rs

2013 - 2014 LEGISLATURE

2013 Assembly BILL 478

November 1, 2013 - Introduced by Representatives Brooks, Kerkman, Kestell, A. Ott, Ballweg, Bies, Jacque, Murtha, Endsley, Murphy, Petryk, Bernier, Spiros, Tittl, Schraa, Pridemore and Ripp, cosponsored by Senators Petrowski, Grothman and Schultz. Referred to Committee on State and Local Finance.

AB478,1,3 An Act to renumber 60.23 (32); and to create 60.23 (32) (b) of the statutes; relating to: expanding the authority of towns to create tax incremental financing districts.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Under the current tax incremental financing program, a city or village may create a tax incremental district (TID) in part of its territory to foster development if at least 50 percent of the area to be included in the TID is blighted, in need of rehabilitation or conservation, suitable for industrial sites, or suitable for mixed-use development. Currently, towns and counties also have a limited ability to create a TID under certain circumstances. Before a city or village may create a TID, several steps and plans are required. These steps and plans include public hearings on the proposed TID within specified time frames, preparation and adoption by the local planning commission of a proposed project plan for the TID, approval of the proposed project plan by the common council or village board, approval of the city's or village's proposed TID by a joint review board that consists of members who represent the overlying taxation districts, and adoption of a resolution by the common council or village board that creates the TID as of a date provided in the resolution.

Also under current law, once a TID has been created, the Department of Revenue (DOR) calculates the "tax incremental base" value of the TID, which is the equalized value of all taxable property within the TID at the time of its creation. If the development in the TID increases the value of the property in the TID above the base value, a "value increment" is created. That portion of taxes collected on the value increment in excess of the base value is called a "tax increment." The tax increment is placed in a special fund that may be used only to pay back the project costs of the TID.

The project costs of a TID, which are initially incurred by the creating city or village, include public works such as sewers, streets, and lighting systems; financing costs; site preparation costs; and professional service costs. DOR authorizes the allocation of the tax increments until the TID terminates or, generally, 20 years, 23 years, or 27 years after the TID is created, depending on the type of TID and the year in which it was created. Also under current law, a city or village may not generally make expenditures for project costs later than five years before the unextended termination date of the TID. Under certain circumstances, the life of the TID, the expenditure period, and the allocation period may be extended.

Under the current law limitations on towns to use tax incremental financing (TIF), a town may create a TID for projects related to tourism, agriculture, manufacturing, or forestry. A town may also use TIF for residential projects, but only to the extent that the residential project has a necessary and incidental relationship to a tourism, agricultural, manufacturing, or forestry project, and for retail projects to the extent that the retail development is related to the retail sale of a product that is produced due to an agricultural, forestry, or manufacturing project.

A town may also create a TID in limited circumstances under which the town enters into a cooperative plan with a city or village under which part or all of the town will be annexed or attached by the city or village.

This bill authorizes certain towns to exercise all of the powers of a city or village to create a TID within the town. To create a TID under the bill, a town must have a population of at least 5,000 and the equalized value of all taxable property within the town must be at least $500 million in the year before the year in which the town proposes to create the TID.

For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

AB478,1 Section 1. 60.23 (32) of the statutes is renumbered 60.23 (32) (a).

AB478,2 Section 2. 60.23 (32) (b) of the statutes is created to read:

AB478,2,5 60.23 (32) (b) 1. In this paragraph, "town" means a town in which the equalized value of all taxable property in the town, in the year before the year in which the town adopts a resolution under s. 66.1105 (4) (gm), is at least $500 million.

AB478,3,5 2. Subject to subd. 3., a town with a population of at least 5,000 may exercise all powers of cities under s. 66.1105 to create a tax incremental district. If the town board exercises the powers of a city under s. 66.1105, it is subject to the same duties as a common council under s. 66.1105 and the town is subject to the same duties and liabilities as a city under s. 66.1105.

AB478,3,7 3. a. If a town creates a tax incremental district under s. 60.85, the town may not take any action with regard to that district except by acting under s. 60.85.

AB478,3,9 b. If a town creates a tax incremental district under par. (a), the town may not take any action with regard to that district except by acting under par. (a).

AB478,3,10 (End)