Chapter 23

23.165(6) (6) Report to legislature. The department shall annually submit a report concerning the activities, receipts and disbursements under this section for the preceding fiscal year to the chief clerk of each house of the legislature for distribution to the appropriate standing committees under s. 13.172 (3).

23.165 History History: 1989 a. 31; 1991 a. 39; 1999 a. 88; 2007 a. 12.

23.167 23.167 Goals and accountability measures for economic development programs.

23.167(1) (1) In this section, “economic development program” means a program or activity having the primary purpose of encouraging the establishment and growth of business in this state, including the creation and retention of jobs, and that satisfies all of the following:

23.167(1)(a) (a) The program receives funding from the state or federal government that is allocated through an appropriation under ch. 20.

23.167(1)(b) (b) The program provides financial assistance, tax benefits, or direct services to specific industries, businesses, local governments, or organizations.

23.167(2) (2) The department, in consultation with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, shall do all of the following for each economic development program administered by the department:

23.167(2)(a) (a) Establish clear and measurable goals for the program that are tied to statutory policy objectives.

23.167(2)(b) (b) Establish at least one quantifiable benchmark for each program goal described in par. (a).

23.167(2)(c) (c) Require that each recipient of a grant or loan under the program submit a report to the department. Each contract with a recipient of a grant or loan under the program shall specify the frequency and format of the report to be submitted to the department and the performance measures to be included in the report.

23.167(2)(d) (d) Establish a method for evaluating the projected results of the program with actual outcomes as determined by evaluating the information described in pars. (a) and (b).

23.167(2)(e) (e) Annually and independently verify, from a sample of grants and loans, the accuracy of the information required to be reported under par. (c).

23.167(2)(f) (f) Establish by rule a requirement that the recipient of a grant or loan under the program of at least $100,000 submit to the department a verified statement signed by both an independent certified public accountant licensed or certified under ch. 442 and the director or principal officer of the recipient to attest to the accuracy of the verified statement, and make available for inspection the documents supporting the verified statement. The department shall include the requirement established by rule under this paragraph in the contract entered into by a grant or loan recipient.

23.167(2)(g) (g) Establish by rule policies and procedures permitting the department to do all of the following if a recipient of a grant or loan or tax benefits under the program submits false or misleading information to the department or fails to comply with the terms of a contract entered into with the department under the program and fails to provide to the satisfaction of the department an explanation for the noncompliance:

23.167(2)(g)1. 1. Recoup payments made to the recipient.

23.167(2)(g)2. 2. Withhold payments to be made to the recipient.

23.167(2)(g)3. 3. Impose a forfeiture on the recipient.

23.167 History History: 2007 a. 125; 2011 a. 32.

23.169 23.169 Economic development assistance coordination and reporting.

23.169(1) (1) The department shall coordinate any economic development assistance with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.

23.169(2) (2) Annually, no later than October 1, the department shall submit to the joint legislative audit committee and to the appropriate standing committees of the legislature under s. 13.172 (3) a comprehensive report assessing economic development programs, as defined in s. 23.167 (1), administered by the department. The report shall include all of the information required under s. 238.07 (2). The department shall collaborate with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation to make readily accessible to the public on an Internet-based system the information required under this section.

23.169 History History: 2007 a. 125; 2011 a. 32.

23.17 23.17 Ice age trail.

23.17(1) (1) Definition. In this section:

23.17(1)(a) (a) “Municipality” means a city, village, town, county or special purpose district.

23.17(1)(b) (b) “State agency” has the meaning designated under s. 16.01 (1).

23.17(2) (2) Designation. The ice age national scenic trail, as provided for in 16 USC 1244 (a) (10), plus the lands adjacent to each side of that trail designated by the department, is designated a state scenic trail, to be known as the “Ice Age Trail”.

23.17(3) (3) Duties of the department. The department shall:

23.17(3)(a) (a) Encourage other state agencies, municipalities, organizations and individuals to participate in planning, establishing, developing and maintaining the ice age trail.

23.17(3)(b) (b) Provide information to any person involved in planning, establishing, developing or maintaining the ice age trail regarding trail design, signs, interpretive markers and any other aspects of the ice age trail in which uniformity is desirable.

23.17(3)(c) (c) Encourage municipalities to develop land use plans which preserve rights-of-way for future establishment of the ice age trail.

23.17(3)(d) (d) Prepare a trail management plan and plan for interpretive markers for the ice age trail, in cooperation with the national park service, federal department of the interior.

23.17(3)(e) (e) Coordinate the activities of all state agencies which own property that includes any existing or planned portion of the ice age trail and maintain regular contact with such agencies.

23.17(3)(f) (f) Identify portions of the ice age trail which are proposed to be located on state-owned property, especially highway rights-of-way, and contact state agencies which own such property as soon as possible so that adequate plans for the location of the trail on state property may be developed and the trail location may be altered if the use of state property proves to be impossible.

23.17(3)(g) (g) Coordinate its planning efforts relating to the location, development and maintenance of the ice age trail with the efforts of the national park service, federal department of the interior and any statewide nonprofit organization established for the purpose of planning, developing and maintaining the ice age trail.

23.17(4) (4) Powers of the department. The department may acquire land for the ice age trail under s. 23.09 (2) (d) 10., and may develop the ice age trail on lands under its ownership along the trail route.

23.17(4m) (4m) Chippewa County interpretive center designation. The interpretive center in the Chippewa Moraine State Recreation Area in Chippewa County is designated the David R. Obey Ice Age Trail Interpretive Center.

23.17(5) (5) State land.

23.17(5)(a) (a) A state agency may not refuse to permit construction of a portion of the ice age trail on property owned by the state agency if the state agency determines that the trail does not conflict with other existing or proposed uses of the property.

23.17(5)(b) (b) Each state agency shall consider the ice age trail in the long-range plans for property owned by the state agency.

23.17(5g) (5g) Permitted uses. The construction on or use of land designated by the department as part of the ice age trail under this section and s. 23.293 is a permitted use under any zoning ordinance enacted by a municipality.

23.17(5r) (5r) Municipal land. A municipality may not refuse to permit construction of a portion of the ice age trail on property owned by the municipality if the municipality determines that the trail does not conflict with other existing or proposed uses of the property.

23.17(6) (6) Other trails.

23.17(6)(a) (a) This section does not limit the authority of the department to designate other trails under s. 23.115.

23.17(6)(b) (b) This section does not preclude any portion of the ice age trail from being designated as a part of the national trails system.

23.17 History History: 1987 a. 98, 399; 1991 a. 39; 2011 a. 32.

23.173 23.173 Richard A. Grobschmidt Memorial Bridge.

23.173(1) (1) The department shall designate and, subject to sub. (2), mark the bridge on the Hank Aaron State Trail across the Lakeshore State Park Inlet at the north end of Lakeshore State Park in the city of Milwaukee as the “Richard A. Grobschmidt Memorial Bridge.”

23.173(2) (2) Upon receipt of sufficient contributions from interested parties, including any county, city, village, or town, to cover the costs of erecting and maintaining markers along the route specified in sub. (1) to clearly identify the designation of the route as the “Richard A. Grobschmidt Memorial Bridge,” the department shall erect and maintain the markers. No state funds, other than from the receipt of contributions under this subsection, may be expended for the erection or maintenance of the markers.

23.173 History History: 2017 a. 84.

23.175 23.175 State trails.

23.175(1) (1) Definitions. In this section:

23.175(1)(a) (a) “Political subdivision” means a city, village, town or county.

23.175(1)(b) (b) “State agency” means any office, department, agency, institution of higher education, association, society or other body in state government created or authorized to be created by the constitution or any law which is entitled to expend moneys appropriated by law, including any authority created under subch. II of ch. 114 or ch. 231, 233, 234, or 237 but not including the legislature or the courts.

23.175(2) (2) Duties of the department. The department shall:

23.175(2)(a) (a) Designate a system of state trails as part of the state park system. The state trail system may also include water trails. The state trail system shall be named the “Aldo Leopold Legacy Trail System.”

23.175(2)(b) (b) Encourage other state agencies, political subdivisions, organizations and individuals to participate in planning, establishing, developing and maintaining state trails.

23.175(2)(c) (c) Seek the advice of and consult with the state trails council regarding the planning, acquisition, development and management of state trails.

23.175(2)(d) (d) Provide information to any person involved in planning, establishing, developing or maintaining state trails regarding trail design, signs and any other aspects of the trails in which uniformity is desirable.

23.175(2)(e) (e) Encourage political subdivisions to develop land use plans that preserve rights-of-way for the future establishment of trails.

23.175(2)(f) (f) Prepare a trail management plan.

23.175(2)(g) (g) Coordinate the activities of all state agencies that own property that includes any existing or planned portion of a state trail and maintain regular contact with those state agencies.

23.175(2)(h) (h) Identify portions of state trails that are proposed to be located on property owned by state agencies.

23.175(2)(i) (i) Coordinate its planning efforts relating to the location, establishment, development and maintenance of state trails with the efforts of statewide, nonprofit organizations established for the purpose of planning, establishing, developing and maintaining trails.

23.175(2)(j) (j) Establish priorities for trail acquisition and development with a higher priority for trails that establish connections between existing trails.

23.175(2)(k) (k) Establish the state trail cleanup program under sub. (5m).

23.175(3) (3) Powers of the department. The department may:

23.175(3)(a) (a) Develop and construct state trails on lands under its ownership.

23.175(3)(b) (b) Expend an amount from the appropriation under s. 20.866 (2) (ta) or (tz) or both that equals any of the following:

23.175(3)(b)1. 1. The amount of a gift, grant or bequest received for a state trail under this section.

23.175(3)(b)2. 2. The fair market value of land donated for a state trail under this section.

23.175(3m) (3m) Allocation between appropriations. For purposes of sub. (3) (b), the department shall determine how the moneys being expended are to be allocated from the appropriations under s. 20.866 (2) (ta) and (tz). The department may not allocate or expend any moneys from the appropriation under s. 20.866 (2) (ta) before July 1, 2000.

23.175(4) (4) Limit on spending. Except as provided in s. 23.0915 (2), the department may not expend from the appropriation under s. 20.866 (2) (tz) more than $1,000,000 under this section for trails and for grants for this purpose under s. 23.096 in each fiscal year.

23.175(4m) (4m) Priority for brownfields. In awarding grants for trails under s. 23.096, the department shall give higher priority for projects related to brownfields redevelopment, as defined in s. 23.09 (19) (a) 1.

23.175(5) (5) State land.

23.175(5)(a) (a) A state agency may not refuse to permit the department to construct a portion of a state trail designated under sub. (2) on property owned by the state agency if the state agency determines that the trail does not conflict with other existing or planned uses of the property.

23.175(5)(b) (b) Each state agency shall consider state trails in the long-range plans for property owned by the state agency.

23.175(5m) (5m) State trail cleanup program.

23.175(5m)(a) (a) The department shall establish a state trail cleanup program to encourage community and youth organizations and other persons to volunteer for projects to remove debris and litter along designated portions of state trails.

23.175(5m)(b) (b) The department shall request that the organization or other person volunteering for a project under this program conduct the project for 2 years and remove debris and litter at least once a year during the 2-year period.

23.175(5m)(c) (c) The department shall place one sign along each designated portion of a state trail for which an organization or other person has volunteered. The sign shall state the fact that that portion of the trail is under the state trail cleanup program and the name of the organization or other person volunteering for that portion. The organization or other person volunteering for a designated portion of a state trail shall reimburse the department for the cost of the sign and its placement along that portion.

23.175(6) (6) Other trails. This section does not limit the authority of the department to designate other trails under s. 23.115.

23.175 History History: 1989 a. 31; 1991 a. 39; 1993 a. 72; 1995 a. 27; 1997 a. 27; 1999 a. 9; 2001 a. 16, 90; 2005 a. 335; 2007 a. 35; 2013 a. 248.

23.177 23.177 Nonmotorized recreation and transportation trails council.

23.177(1) (1) Duties of council. The nonmotorized recreation and transportation trails council shall carry out studies and make recommendations to the legislature, governor, department of natural resources, and department of transportation on all matters related to nonmotorized recreation and transportation trails, including matters relating to nonmotorized trail activities or interests specified in s. 15.347 (20) (b) 1. to 11.

23.177(2) (2) Duties of departments of natural resources and transportation.

23.177(2)(a) (a) The department of natural resources and department of transportation shall seek the advice of, and consult with, the council regarding the planning, acquisition, development, maintenance, and management of nonmotorized recreation and transportation trails.

23.177(2)(b) (b) The department shall establish and maintain a website where a person may locate information about the council, including all meeting notices and agendas.

23.177(2)(c) (c) The department shall prepare written minutes of each meeting of the council and shall make them available on the website established under par. (b).