Chapter 238

238.046(1) (1) A member of the board or an employee of the corporation to whom the board delegates its authority to contract shall notify the corporation’s legal counsel or, if the corporation’s legal counsel is unavailable, the chief executive officer of the corporation if the member or employee has a direct or indirect, private, pecuniary interest in a contract that is being negotiated, bid for, or entered into with the corporation. If the corporation’s legal counsel or chief executive officer is notified under this section, he or she shall report the name of the individual from whom he or she received the notification and the contract in which the individual has a private, pecuniary interest to the board. A member or employee who notifies the corporation’s legal counsel or chief executive officer under this section is not authorized to participate in the member’s or employee’s capacity as a member of the board or an employee of the corporation in the making of the contract or to perform in regard to the contract some official function requiring the exercise of discretion on the member’s or employee’s part.

238.046(2) (2) An employee of the corporation shall notify the corporation’s legal counsel or, if the corporation’s legal counsel is unavailable, the chief executive officer of the corporation if the employee has a controlling interest in an entity that is negotiating, bidding for, or entering into a contract with the corporation. If the corporation’s legal counsel or chief executive officer is notified under this section, he or she shall report the name of the individual from whom he or she received the notification and the contract at issue to the board. The board shall prohibit the corporation from entering into any contract with an entity in which an employee of the corporation has a controlling interest.

238.046 History History: 2013 a. 43 s. 1; 2013 a. 173 s. 32.

238.06 238.06 Liability limited. Neither the state nor any political subdivision of the state, nor any officer, employee, or agent of the state or a political subdivision of the state who is acting within the scope of employment or agency, is liable for any debt, obligation, act, or omission of the corporation.

238.06 History History: 2011 a. 7.

238.07 238.07 Submission of annual reports to legislature.

238.07(1) (1) Annually, by January 1, the board shall submit to the chief clerk of each house of the legislature, for distribution to the legislature under s. 13.172 (2), a report identifying the economic development projects that the board intends to develop and implement during the current calendar year.

238.07(2) (2) Annually, no later than October l, the board shall submit to the joint legislative audit committee and the chief clerk of each house of the legislature, for distribution to the legislature under s. 13.172 (2), a report for the previous fiscal year on each of the economic development programs of the corporation that contains all of the following:

238.07(2)(a) (a) A description of each program.

238.07(2)(ag) (ag) An accounting of the location, by municipality, of each job created or retained in the state in the previous fiscal year as a result of the program.

238.07(2)(ar) (ar) An accounting of the industry classification, by municipality, of each job created or retained in the state as a result of the program.

238.07(2)(b) (b) A comparison of expected and actual program outcomes.

238.07(2)(c) (c) The number of grants made under the program.

238.07(2)(d) (d) The number of loans made under the program.

238.07(2)(dm) (dm) The total amount of tax benefits allocated, and the total amount of tax benefits verified to the department of revenue, under the program.

238.07(2)(e) (e) The amount of each grant and loan made under the program.

238.07(2)(f) (f) The recipient of each grant or loan made under the program.

238.07(2)(fm) (fm) An identification of each recipient of a tax benefit allocated, and each recipient of a tax benefit that was verified to the department of revenue, under the program.

238.07(2)(g) (g) The sum total of all grants and loans awarded to and received by each recipient under the program.

238.07(2)(h) (h) Any recommended changes to the program.

238.07(3) (3) The board shall make readily accessible to the public on an Internet-based system the information required under sub. (2).

238.07(4) (4) Annually, beginning in 2014, the board shall have an independent audit conducted of the corporation’s financial statements for the previous fiscal year and submit the audit report to the joint legislative audit committee and the chief clerk of each house of the legislature, for distribution to the legislature under s. 13.172 (2).

238.07 History History: 2011 a. 7; 2013 a. 20.

238.08 238.08 Records of the corporation. All records of the corporation are open to the public as provided in s. 19.35 (1) except those records relating to the following:

238.08(1) (1) Pending grants, loans, or economic development projects that, in the opinion of the corporation, must remain confidential to protect the competitive nature of the grant, loan, or project.

238.08(2) (2) Confidential tax information received from the department of revenue under s. 71.78.

238.08 History History: 2011 a. 32; 2023 a. 19.

238.09 238.09 Procurement policies and procedures. The board shall adopt policies and procedures that specify all of the following:

238.09(1) (1) When the corporation is required to publicly solicit proposals from multiple vendors of goods or services.

238.09(2) (2) How the corporation is to evaluate proposals from multiple vendors.

238.09(3) (3) How the corporation is to assess any conflict of interest a vendor may have if the vendor sells goods or services to the corporation.

238.09 History History: 2013 a. 20.

238.10 238.10 Allocation of volume cap on tax-exempt bonds.

238.10(1) (1) Allocation. The corporation shall establish under 26 USC 146 and administer a system for the allocation of the volume cap on the issuance of private activity bonds, as defined under 26 USC 141 (a), among all municipalities, as defined in s. 67.01 (5), and any corporation formed on behalf of those municipalities, and among this state, the Wisconsin Health and Educational Facilities Authority, the Wisconsin Aerospace Authority, and the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority.

238.10(2) (2) Amendment to allocation. At any time prior to December 31 in any year, the corporation may adopt rules to revise the allocation system established for that year under sub. (1), except that any revision under this subsection does not apply to any allocation under which the recipient of that allocation has adopted a resolution authorizing the issuance of a private activity bond, as defined in 26 USC 141 (a).

238.10(3) (3) Conditions. The corporation may establish any procedure for, and place any condition upon, the granting of an allocation under this section which the corporation deems to be in the best interest of the state including a requirement that a cash deposit, at a rate established by the corporation, be a condition for an allocation.

238.10(4) (4) Certification. If the corporation receives notice of the issuance of a bond under an allocation under subs. (1) to (3), the corporation shall certify that that bond meets the requirements of 26 USC 146.

238.10 History History: 1987 a. 69, 403; 1989 a. 8; 1997 a. 27; 2005 a. 335; 2011 a. 32 s. 3315; Stats. 2011 s. 238.10.

238.11 238.11 Employment impact estimates.

238.11(1) (1) The corporation shall prescribe the notice forms to be used under s. 66.1103 (4m) (a) 1. The corporation shall include on the forms a requirement for information on the number of jobs the person submitting the notice expects to be eliminated, created, or maintained on the project site and elsewhere in this state by the project which is the subject of the notice. The corporation shall prescribe the forms to be used under s. 66.1103 (4m) (b).

238.11(2) (2) If the corporation receives a notice under s. 66.1103 (4m) (a), the corporation shall estimate, no later than 20 days after receipt of the notice, whether the project that is the subject of the notice is expected to eliminate, create, or maintain jobs on the project site and elsewhere in this state and the net number of jobs expected to be eliminated, created, or maintained as a result of the project.

238.11(5) (5) The corporation shall issue an estimate made under sub. (2) to the city, village, town, or county which will issue the bonds to finance the project which is the subject of the estimate.

238.11 History History: 1985 a. 299; 1999 a. 85; 1999 a. 150 s. 672; 2001 a. 104; 2009 a. 112; 2011 a. 32 s. 3318; Stats. 2011 s. 238.11; 2011 a. 214.

238.115 238.115 Tax credit reporting.

238.115(1) (1) Corporation obligations. No later than the end of the first month following each quarter, the corporation shall provide to the department of revenue all of the following information for the previous quarter:

238.115(1)(a) (a) The identity of each person the corporation certified for tax credits under this chapter and, for each person, the amount certified.

238.115(1)(b) (b) The identity of each person the corporation verified to claim tax credits under this chapter based on the person’s satisfaction of all applicable requirements to be eligible to claim the tax credits and, for each person, the amount verified.

238.115(1)(c) (c) The identity of each person, whether an entity or individual, who may claim tax credits as the result of each verification of each person identified under par. (b). The information provided under this paragraph shall specify the taxable year that applies for each of those persons.

238.115(1)(d) (d) The identity of each person, whether an entity or individual, who may claim tax credits as the result of a transfer of tax credits under this chapter and, for each person, the amount transferred. The information provided under this paragraph shall specify the taxable year that applies for each of those persons.

238.115(1)(e) (e) The identity of each person for whom the corporation revoked a certification for tax credits and, for each person, the amount revoked.

238.115(1)(f) (f) The amount of tax credits the corporation determined each person identified under par. (e) was eligible to claim that, if already claimed, must be repaid by the person as the result of the revocation.

238.115(1)(g) (g) Any other information the department of revenue and the corporation agree is necessary to accurately track certification, verification, transfer, and usage of tax credits under this chapter.

238.115(2) (2) Taxpayer obligations. Each person the corporation certifies for tax credits under this chapter shall provide all information necessary for the corporation to comply with the reporting requirements under sub. (1).

238.115(3) (3) Department of revenue’s obligation. The department of revenue shall track the amount of all tax credits administered by the corporation that have been claimed or used to offset tax liability and the amount of all available unused tax credits under this chapter.

238.115 History History: 2015 a. 55; 2019 a. 9.

238.12 238.12 Repayment of grants, loans, and tax benefits.

238.12(1) (1) In this section, “tax benefits” means the credits under ss. 71.07 (2dm), (2dx), (3g), (3t), and (3wm), 71.28 (1dm), (1dx), (3g), (3t), and (3wm), 71.47 (1dm), (1dx), (3g), and (3t), and 76.636.

238.12(2) (2) The corporation may not award a grant or loan under this chapter to a person or certify a person to receive tax benefits unless the corporation enters into an agreement with the person that requires the person to repay the grant, loan, or tax benefits if, within 5 years after receiving the grant or loan or being certified to receive tax benefits, the person ceases to conduct in this state the economic activity for which the person received the grant or loan or for which the person was certified to receive tax benefits and commences substantially the same economic activity outside this state.

238.12 History History: 2005 a. 25, 259; 2011 a. 32 s. 3327; Stats. 2011 s. 238.12; 2015 a. 55; 2017 a. 58.

238.124 238.124 Loan limitations.

238.124(1) (1) The corporation may not originate any loan that is forgivable in whole or in part upon the loan recipient’s achievement of one or more conditions or goals.

238.124(2) (2) Each new lending program the corporation implements or administers shall adhere as closely as practicable to commonly accepted commercial lending practices. The corporation shall adopt policies and procedures implementing this subsection.

238.124 History History: 2017 a. 59.

238.125 238.125 Notification of position openings; compliance. The corporation shall monitor compliance with the position-opening notification requirements under ss. 66.1103 (6m) and 106.16.

238.125 History History: 1987 a. 27; 1995 a. 27; 1999 a. 150 s. 672; 2011 a. 32 s. 3333; Stats. 2011 s. 238.125.

238.127 238.127 State main street program.

238.127(1) (1) In this section:

238.127(1)(a) (a) “Business area” means a commercial area existing at the time services under the state main street program are requested and having historic significance.

238.127(1)(b) (b) “Municipality” means a city, village or town.

238.127(1)(c) (c) “Revitalization” means the process of engaging in activities to increase economic activity, while preserving and building upon a location’s historically significant characteristics.

238.127(2) (2) The corporation shall establish and administer a state main street program to coordinate state and local participation in programs offered by the national main street center, created by the national trust for historic preservation, to assist municipalities in planning, managing and implementing programs for the revitalization of business areas. The corporation shall do all of the following:

238.127(2)(a) (a) Enter into contracts to obtain business area revitalization services provided by the national main street center.

238.127(2)(c) (c) With help from interested individuals and organizations, develop a plan describing the objectives of the state main street program and the methods by which the corporation shall:

238.127(2)(c)1. 1. Coordinate the activities of that program with private and public sector revitalization of business areas.

238.127(2)(c)2. 2. Solicit and use private sector funding for revitalization of business areas.

238.127(2)(c)3. 3. Help municipalities engage in revitalization of business areas.

238.127(2)(d) (d) Coordinate with other state and local public and private entities which provide services to municipalities undertaking projects for the revitalization of business areas.

238.127(2)(e) (e) Annually select, upon application, up to 5 municipalities to participate in the state main street program. The program for each municipality shall conclude after 3 years, except that the program for each municipality selected after July 29, 1995, shall conclude after 5 years. The corporation shall select program participants representing various geographical regions and populations. A municipality may apply to participate, and the corporation may select a municipality for participation, more than one time. In selecting a municipality, however, the corporation may give priority to those municipalities that have not previously participated.

238.127(2)(f) (f) For use in selecting the participants in the state main street program under par. (e), develop objective criteria relating to at least the following issues:

238.127(2)(f)1. 1. Private and public sector interest in and commitment to revitalization of a business area selected by the municipality.

238.127(2)(f)2. 2. Potential private sector investment in a business area selected by the municipality.

238.127(2)(f)3. 3. Local organizational and financial commitment to employ a program manager for not less than 3 years, or not less than 5 years for participants selected after July 29, 1995.

238.127(2)(f)4. 4. Local assistance in paying for the services of a design consultant.

238.127(2)(f)5. 5. Local commitment to assist in training persons to direct activities related to business areas in municipalities that do not participate in the state main street program.

238.127(2)(h) (h) Provide training, technical assistance and information on the revitalization of business areas to municipalities which do not participate in the state main street program. The corporation may charge reasonable fees for the services and information provided under this paragraph.

238.127(2)(j) (j) The corporation shall expend at least $250,000 annually on the state main street program.

238.127 History History: 1987 a. 109; 1993 a. 16; 1995 a. 27; 1999 a. 9; 2011 a. 32 ss. 2860m, 3330c to 3330s; Stats. 2011 s. 238.127; 2013 a. 166 s. 76.

238.13 238.13 Brownfields grant program.

238.13(1) (1) In this section: