Chapter 16

16.957(2) (2) Department duties. The department shall do all of the following:

16.957(2)(a) (a) Low-income programs. After holding a hearing, establish programs to be administered by the department for awarding grants from the appropriation under s. 20.505 (3) (r) to provide low-income assistance. In each fiscal year, the amount awarded under this paragraph shall be sufficient to ensure that an amount equal to 50 percent of the sum of the following is allocated for weatherization and other energy conservation services:

16.957(2)(a)2. 2. All moneys spent in a fiscal year for low-income programs established under s. 196.374, 2003 stats.

16.957(2)(a)3. 3. The moneys collected in low-income assistance fees under sub. (4) (a).

16.957(2)(a)4. 4. The moneys collected in low-income assistance fees under sub. (5) (a).

16.957(2)(c) (c) Rules. Promulgate rules establishing all of the following:

16.957(2)(c)1. 1. Eligibility requirements for low-income assistance under programs established under par. (a). The rules shall prohibit a person who receives low-income assistance from a municipal utility or retail electric cooperative under a program specified in sub. (5) (b) 1. from receiving low-income assistance under programs established under par. (a).

16.957(2)(c)2. 2. Requirements and procedures for applications for grants awarded under programs established under par. (a).

16.957(2)(c)5. 5. A method for estimating total low-income energy bills, average annual income of low-income households and the number of low-income households in a fiscal year for the purpose of determining the amount of low-income need in the fiscal year.

16.957(2)(d) (d) Other duties.

16.957(2)(d)1. 1. For each fiscal year, determine the low-income need target for that fiscal year.

16.957(2)(d)3. 3. Deposit all moneys received under sub. (4) (a) or (5) (b) 2. in the utility public benefits fund.

16.957(2)(d)4. 4. Provide for an annual independent audit and submit an annual report to the legislature under s. 13.172 (2) that describes each of the following:

16.957(2)(d)4.a. a. The expenses of the department, other state agencies, and grant recipients in administering or participating in the programs under par. (a).

16.957(2)(d)4.b. b. The effectiveness of the programs under par. (a) in providing assistance to low-income individuals.

16.957(2)(d)4.d. d. Any other issue identified by the department, governor, speaker of the assembly or majority leader of the senate.

16.957(3) (3) Contracts. The department shall, on the basis of competitive bids, contract with community action agencies described in s. 49.265 (2) (a) 1., nonstock, nonprofit corporations organized under ch. 181, or local units of government to provide services under the programs established under sub. (2) (a).

16.957(4) (4) Electric utilities.

16.957(4)(a) (a) Requirement to charge low-income assistance fees. Each electric utility, except for a municipal utility, shall charge each customer a low-income assistance fee in an amount established in rules promulgated by the department under par. (b). An electric utility, except for a municipal utility, shall collect and pay the fees to the department in accordance with the rules promulgated under par. (b). The low-income assistance fees collected by an electric utility shall be considered trust funds of the department and not income of the electric utility.

16.957(4)(am) (am) Electric bills. An electric utility shall show the low-income assistance fee as a separate line in a customer’s bill, identified as the “state low-income assistance fee,” and shall provide the customer with an annual statement that identifies the annual charges for low-income assistance fees and describes the programs for which fees are used.

16.957(4)(b) (b) Rules. The department shall promulgate rules that establish the amount of a low-income assistance fee under par. (a). Fees established in rules under this paragraph may vary by class of customer, but shall be uniform within each class, and shall satisfy each of the following:

16.957(4)(b)1. 1. The fees may not be based on the kilowatt-hour consumption of electricity by customers.

16.957(4)(b)2. 2. Seventy percent of the total amount of fees charged by an electric provider may be charged to residential customers and 30 percent of the total may be charged to nonresidential customers.

16.957(4)(b)3. 3. The fees shall allow an electric provider to recover the reasonable and prudent expenses incurred by the electric provider in complying with this section.

16.957(4)(c) (c) Amount of low-income assistance fees. A fee established in rules promulgated under par. (b) shall satisfy each of the following:

16.957(4)(c)1. 1. ‘Low-income funding from fee.’ In each fiscal year, the low-income assistance fee shall be an amount that, when added to the sum of the following shall equal the low-income need target for that fiscal year determined by the department under sub. (2) (d) 1.:

16.957(4)(c)1.a. a. The estimated low-income assistance fees charged by municipal utilities and retail electric cooperatives under sub. (5) (a) for that fiscal year.

16.957(4)(c)1.b. b. The federal assistance for that fiscal year.

16.957(4)(c)1.c. c. The total amount spent on programs by utilities under s. 196.374 (3), 2003 stats., for that fiscal year for low-income assistance.

16.957(4)(c)3. 3. ‘Limitation on low-income assistance fees.’ In any month, the low-income assistance fee may not exceed 3 percent of the total of every other charge for which the customer is billed for that month or $750, whichever is less.

16.957(5) (5) Municipal utilities and retail electric cooperatives.

16.957(5)(a) (a) Requirement to charge low-income assistance fees. Each retail electric cooperative and municipal utility shall charge a monthly low-income assistance fee to each customer or member in an amount that is sufficient for the retail electric cooperative or municipal utility to collect an annual average of $8 per meter. A retail electric cooperative or municipal utility may determine the amount that a particular class of customers or members is required to pay under this paragraph and may charge different fees to different classes of customers or members.

16.957(5)(am) (am) Low-income assistance fee restriction. Notwithstanding par. (a), in any month, the low-income assistance fee may not exceed 1.5 percent of the total of every other charge for which the member or customer is billed for that month or $375, whichever is less.

16.957(5)(b) (b) Commitment to community programs.

16.957(5)(b)1. 1. Except as provided in subd. 2., each retail electric cooperative and municipal utility shall spend on commitment to community programs the fees that the cooperative or utility charges under par. (a).

16.957(5)(b)2. 2. No later than October 1, 2007, and no later than every 3rd year after that date, each municipal utility or retail electric cooperative shall notify the department whether the utility or cooperative has elected to contribute the fees that the utility or cooperative charges under par. (a) to the programs established under sub. (2) (a) in each year of the 3-year period for which the utility or cooperative has made the election. If a municipal utility or retail electric cooperative elects to contribute to the programs established under sub. (2) (a), the utility or cooperative shall pay the low-income assistance fees that the utility or cooperative collects under par. (a) to the department in each year of the 3-year period for which the utility or cooperative has made the election.

16.957(5)(e) (e) Wholesale supplier credit. If a wholesale supplier has established a commitment to community program, a municipal utility or retail electric cooperative that is a customer or member of the wholesale supplier may include an amount equal to the product of the municipal utility’s or retail electric cooperative’s wholesale supply percentage and the amount that the wholesale supplier has spent on the commitment to community program in a year in calculating the amount that the municipal utility or retail electric cooperative has spent on commitment to community programs in that year under par. (b) 1.

16.957(5)(f) (f) Joint programs. Municipal utilities or retail electric cooperatives may establish joint commitment to community programs, except that each municipal utility or retail electric cooperative that participates in a joint program is required to comply with the spending requirements under par. (b) 1.

16.957(5)(g) (g) Reports.

16.957(5)(g)1. 1. Annually, each municipal utility and retail electric cooperative that spends the low-income assistance fees that the utility or cooperative charges under par. (a) on commitment to community programs under par. (b) 1. shall provide for an independent audit of its programs and submit a report to the department that describes each of the following:

16.957(5)(g)1.a. a. An accounting of low-income assistance fees charged to customers or members under par. (a) in the year and expenditures on commitment to community programs under par. (b) 1., including any amounts included in the municipal utility’s or retail electric cooperative’s calculations under par. (e).

16.957(5)(g)1.b. b. A description of commitment to community programs established by the municipal utility or retail electric cooperative in the year.

16.957(5)(g)2. 2. The department shall require that municipal utilities and retail electric cooperatives file reports under subd. 1. electronically, in a format that allows for tabulation, comparison, and other analysis of the reports. The department shall maintain reports filed under subd. 1. for at least 6 years.

16.957 History History: 1999 a. 9; 2001 a. 16, 30; 2003 a. 33; 2005 a. 141; 2007 a. 20; 2009 a. 11, 28; 2011 a. 32; 2013 a. 20; 2015 a. 55.

16.957 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also chs. Adm 43 and 45, Wis. adm. code.

16.958 16.958 Air quality improvement program.

16.958(1) (1) In this section:

16.958(1)(a) (a) “Eligible electric provider” means a generator public utility or a generator electric cooperative that provides electric service to customers or members in the midcontinent area of this state.

16.958(1)(b) (b) “Generator electric cooperative” means an electric cooperative, as defined in s. 76.48 (1g) (c), that generates electricity.

16.958(1)(c) (c) “Generator public utility” means a public utility, as defined in s. 196.01 (5), that generates electricity.

16.958(1)(d) (d) “Initial compliance date” means the date specified in a notice by the department of natural resources under s. 285.48 (2) by which electric generating facilities in the midcontinent area of this state are required to comply with initial nitrogen oxide emission reduction requirements.

16.958(1)(e) (e) “Midcontinent area” means the geographic area served by the Mid-Continent Area Power Pool reliability council of the North American Electric Reliability Council.

16.958(2) (2) If the department of natural resources makes a notification to the department of administration under s. 285.48 (2), the department of administration shall do each of the following:

16.958(2)(a) (a) In each fiscal year of the 10-year period that commences on July 1 of the fiscal year ending before the initial compliance date, transfer $2,500,000, or the lesser amount specified in a notice under s. 285.48 (3) (d) 4., from the utility public benefits fund to the air quality improvement fund.

16.958(2)(b) (b) From the air quality improvement fund, award grants to eligible electric providers to be used for the purpose of complying with requirements under state or federal law to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions in the midcontinent area of this state pursuant to a state implementation plan. An eligible electric provider that is a public utility may receive no more than $500,000 per year in grants under this paragraph.

16.958(2)(c) (c) Promulgate rules for awarding grants under par. (b). The rules shall require an applicant for a grant to identify the reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions that the applicant is capable of achieving with the grant.

16.958(3) (3) An eligible electric provider that is awarded a grant under sub. (2) (b) may assign the grant to a 3rd party if the 3rd party uses the grant for the purpose of reducing nitrogen oxide emissions and the eligible electric provider demonstrates to the satisfaction of the department of administration that the 3rd party is capable of achieving the reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions identified in the eligible electric provider’s application for the grant.

16.958 History History: 1999 a. 9.

16.959 16.959 Wind energy. The department shall:

16.959(1) (1) Promote the use of wind energy systems. “Wind energy system” means equipment which converts and then transfers or stores energy from the wind into usable forms of energy.

16.959(2) (2) Gather and disseminate information on wind characteristics and the economic feasibility of using wind energy systems in the state.

16.959(3) (3) Offer assistance to persons interested in installing a wind energy conversion system.

16.959(4) (4) Train University of Wisconsin-Extension staff to assist persons interested in siting wind energy conversion systems.

16.959(5) (5) Publish a list, at intervals not to exceed 6 months, of reputable manufacturers and distributors of wind energy conversion systems in the upper midwest region of the United States.

16.959 History History: 1987 a. 142; 2001 a. 103.

16.96 16.96 Population estimates. The department of administration shall periodically make population estimates and projections. These population determinations shall be deemed to be the official state population estimates and projections. These determinations shall be used for all official estimate and projection purposes, except where otherwise directed by statute, but do not supersede s. 990.01 (29). The department shall:

16.96(1) (1) Annually make estimates of the current number of persons residing in each municipality and county of the state, and periodically make projections of the anticipated future population of the state, counties and municipalities.

16.96(2) (2) Prepare population estimates for purposes of state revenue sharing distribution under ch. 79. For this purpose:

16.96(2)(a) (a) On or before August 10 of each year, the department shall make its preliminary population determinations and shall notify the clerk of each municipality and county of its preliminary population determinations. The reference date for all population determinations for state shared revenue distribution purposes shall be January 1.

16.96(2)(b) (b) Municipalities and counties believing that population determinations under par. (a) are based upon incorrect information may, no later than September 15 of the same year in which the determination is made, challenge the determination by filing their specific objections, and evidence in support thereof, with the department. If the challenge is denied by the department, the municipality or county may appeal the denial, by October 1 of the same year, by notifying the department that the appellant intends to have a special census conducted by the U.S. bureau of the census in support of the appeal under par. (dm).

16.96(2)(c) (c) On or before October 10 of each year, the department shall make any necessary adjustments in its population determinations for the November distribution, and shall notify the clerk of any affected municipality or county of these adjustments. The adjusted population determinations shall be consistent with the methods used statewide for population determinations, and adjustments from the August 10 population determinations shall be made only to accommodate corrected information.

16.96(2)(cm) (cm) The July preliminary distribution shall be based on the final population determination of the previous year.

16.96(2)(d) (d) Except as authorized in pars. (dm) and (e), the population determinations shall be based upon the last previous federal decennial or special census or other official statewide census and shall take into consideration growth rates of municipalities.

16.96(2)(dm) (dm) The results of special censuses conducted for municipalities and counties under contract with the U.S. bureau of the census shall be used as a basis for the respective population determinations on August 10 if the final certified results of such censuses are received by the department before July 1 in the year in which the determination is made. The results of special censuses conducted for municipalities and counties under contract with the U.S. bureau of the census shall be used as a basis for the respective population determinations on October 10 if the final certified results of such censuses are received by the department before October 1 in the year in which the determination is made. If a municipality or county notifies the department in writing by October 1 of its intention to contract for a special census with the U.S. bureau of the census in support of a challenge to the August 10 population determination, and if the final certified results of such a special census are received by the department before July 15 in the following year, the department shall adjust the preceding October 10 population estimate to reflect the results of the special census. If a municipality or county notifies the department of its intention to contract for a special census but the results are not received by July 15 in the following year, the department may use the best information from the most recent federal census. The department shall report the adjusted population determination to the department of revenue before August 1 of the year subsequent to the challenge. The department shall prorate census results for census dates occurring after the reference date of any population determination back to the reference date of the estimate for all municipalities and counties under par. (a). Upon receiving an adjusted population determination, the department of revenue shall correct shared revenue distributions under subch. I of ch. 79 according to s. 79.08. If a municipality contracts with the U.S. bureau of the census for a special census, the municipality shall assure that the results of such special census are certified to the department not later than 30 days after the release of the census results by the U.S. bureau of the census.

16.96(2)(e) (e) Before August 1 of the year following the year in which a federal decennial census is taken, the department shall adjust the October 10 population determinations of the decennial census year to correspond to the final federal decennial census results as reported to an agency of the state by the U.S. bureau of the census under 13 USC 141 (c). The department may use preliminary results from the decennial census for any municipality or a county for which the final results are not available before August 1 of the year following the decennial census year. The department shall prorate each population determination adjustment from the decennial census date back to the reference date of the estimate for all municipalities and counties under par. (a) in the decennial census year. The department shall report the adjusted population determination to the department of revenue before August 1 of the year following the federal decennial census year. Upon receiving an adjusted population determination, the department of revenue shall correct shared revenue distributions under subch. I of ch. 79 according to s. 79.08.

16.96(2)(f) (f) Persons who are members in the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King shall be considered residents of the town of Farmington and of Waupaca County, persons who are members in the Wisconsin Veterans Home at Chippewa Falls shall be considered residents of the city of Chippewa Falls and of Chippewa County, and persons who are members in the Wisconsin Veterans Home at Union Grove shall be considered residents of the town of Dover and of Racine County for purposes of the state revenue sharing distribution under subch. I of ch. 79.

16.96(3) (3) 

16.96(3)(a) (a) Establish a demographic services center for the purpose of developing and administering systems needed to carry out the functions of the department under subs. (1) and (2), maintaining a current repository of appropriate published and computer retrievable federal census information and cooperating with state agencies and regional planning agencies so that the department’s population estimates, projections and published reports are useful for planning and other purposes for which they are required. The center shall coordinate population information development and use. The center shall provide assistance to and encourage and coordinate efforts by state and local agencies, regional planning agencies and private businesses and associations to inform the public regarding the federal census process and the importance of obtaining a complete, accurate federal decennial census. The department may enter into agreements with state and local agencies or regional planning agencies for their assistance in the preparation of population estimates, projections and forecasts.

16.96(3)(b) (b) Maintain and keep current throughout the decade the maps of congressional and legislative district boundaries received from the legislative reference bureau under s. 13.92 (1) (a) 6. and provide copies thereof to the elections commission.

16.96(3)(c) (c) Serve as the state’s liaison to the U.S. bureau of the census to facilitate accurate federal decennial census counts in this state.

16.96 History History: 1971 c. 215; 1973 c. 37, 333; 1975 c. 189; 1977 c. 29 ss. 93 to 95, 1648 (1), (3); 1979 c. 34; 1981 c. 20; 1983 a. 29; 1987 a. 142; 1989 a. 31; 1991 a. 39, 269; 1999 a. 63; 2005 a. 22; 2007 a. 1; 2015 a. 118.

16.96 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also s. Adm 3.01, Wis. adm. code.

16.965 16.965 Planning grants to local governmental units.

16.965(1) (1) In this section:

16.965(1)(a) (a) “Local governmental unit” means a county, city, village, town or regional planning commission.

16.965(1)(b) (b) “Smart growth area” means an area that will enable the development and redevelopment of lands with existing infrastructure and municipal, state and utility services, where practicable, or that will encourage efficient development patterns that are both contiguous to existing development and at densities that have relatively low municipal, state governmental and utility costs.

16.965(2) (2) From the appropriations under s. 20.505 (1) (cm) and (ud), the department may provide grants to local governmental units to be used to finance the cost of planning activities, including contracting for planning consultant services, public planning sessions and other planning outreach and educational activities, or for the purchase of computerized planning data, planning software or the hardware required to utilize that data or software. The department shall require any local governmental unit that receives a grant under this section to finance a percentage of the cost of the product or service to be funded by the grant from the resources of the local governmental unit. The department shall determine the percentage of the cost to be funded by a local governmental unit based on the number of applications for grants and the availability of funding to finance grants for the fiscal year in which grants are to be provided. A local governmental unit that desires to receive a grant under this subsection shall file an application with the department. The application shall contain a complete statement of the expenditures proposed to be made for the purposes of the grant. No local governmental unit is eligible to receive a grant under this subsection unless the local governmental unit agrees to utilize the grant to finance planning for all of the purposes specified in s. 66.1001 (2).

16.965(4) (4) In determining whether to approve a proposed grant, preference shall be accorded to applications of local governmental units that contain all of the following elements:

16.965(4)(a) (a) Planning efforts that address the interests of overlapping or neighboring jurisdictions.