DEVELOPMENT
66.110166.1101 Promotion of industry; industrial sites. 66.1101(1)(1) It is declared to be the policy of the state to encourage and promote the development of industry to provide greater employment opportunities and to broaden the state’s tax base to relieve the tax burden of residents and home owners. It is recognized that the availability of suitable sites is a prime factor in influencing the location of industry but that existing available sites may be encroached upon by the development of other uses unless protected from encroachment by purchase and reservation. It is further recognized that cities, villages and towns have broad power to act for the commercial benefit and the health, safety and public welfare of the public. However, to implement that power, legislation authorizing borrowing is necessary. It is, therefore, the policy of the state to authorize cities, villages and towns to borrow for the reservation and development of industrial sites, and the expenditure of funds for that purpose is determined to be a public purpose. 66.1101(2)(2) For financing purposes, the purchase, reservation and development of industrial sites undertaken by a city, village or town is a public utility within the meaning of s. 66.0621. In financing under that section, rentals and fees are considered to be revenue. Any indebtedness created under this section shall not be included in arriving at the constitutional debt limitation. 66.1101(3)(3) Sites purchased for industrial development under this section or under any other authority may be developed by the city, village or town by the installation of utilities and roadways but not by the construction of buildings or structures. The sites may be sold or leased for industrial purposes but only for a fair consideration to be determined by the governing body. 66.1101 HistoryHistory: 1999 a. 150 s. 494; Stats. 1999 s. 66.1101. 66.110266.1102 Land development; notification; records requests; construction site development. 66.1102(1)(ae)(ae) “Construction site” means the site of the construction, alteration, painting, or repair of a building, structure, or other work. 66.1102(1)(bs)(bs) “Political subdivision” means any city, village, town, or county. 66.1102(2)(2) Notification requirements. Before a political subdivision may take action that would allow the development of a residential, commercial, or industrial property that would likely increase the amount of water that the main drain of a drainage district would have to accommodate, the political subdivision shall send notice to the drainage district. 66.1102(3)(3) Failure to notify. A political subdivision’s failure to notify under sub. (2) does not invalidate any decision made or action taken by the political subdivision. 66.1102(4)(4) Land information record requests. Whenever any office or officer of a political subdivision receives a request to copy a record containing land information, the requester has a right to receive a copy of the record in the same format in which the record is maintained by the custodian, unless the requester requests that a copy be provided in a different format that is authorized by law. 66.1102(5)(a)(a) Except for an ordinance that is related to health or safety concerns, no political subdivision may enact an ordinance or adopt a resolution that limits the ability of any person who is the owner, or other person in lawful possession or control, of a construction site to install a banner over the entire height and length of a fence surrounding the construction site. 66.1102(5)(b)(b) If a political subdivision has enacted an ordinance or adopted a resolution before April 5, 2018, that is inconsistent with par. (a), that portion of the ordinance or resolution does not apply and may not be enforced. 66.110366.1103 Industrial development revenue bonding. 66.1103(1)(a)(a) It is found and declared that industries located in this state have been induced to move their operations in whole or in part to, or to expand their operations in, other states to the detriment of state, county and municipal revenue raising through the loss or reduction of income and franchise taxes, real estate and other local taxes causing an increase in unemployment; that such conditions now exist in certain areas of the state and may well arise in other areas; that economic insecurity due to unemployment is a serious menace to the general welfare of not only the people of the affected areas but of the people of the entire state; that unemployment results in obligations to grant public assistance and in the payment of unemployment insurance; that the absence of new economic opportunities has caused workers and their families to migrate elsewhere to find work and establish homes, which has resulted in a reduction of the tax base of counties, cities and other local governmental jurisdictions impairing their financial ability to support education and other local governmental services; that security against unemployment and the preservation and enhancement of the tax base can best be provided by the promotion, attraction, stimulation, rehabilitation and revitalization of commerce, industry and manufacturing; and that there is a need to stimulate a larger flow of private investment funds from banks, investment houses, insurance companies and other financial institutions. It is therefore the policy of this state to promote the right to gainful employment, business opportunities and general welfare of its inhabitants and to preserve and enhance the tax base by authorizing municipalities and counties to acquire industrial buildings and to finance the acquisition through the issuance of revenue bonds for the purpose of fulfilling the aims of this section. These purposes are declared to be public purposes for which public money may be spent and the necessity in the public interest for the provisions of this section is declared a matter of legislative determination. 66.1103(1)(b)(b) It is found and declared that the control of pollution of the environment of this state, the provision of medical, safe employment, telecommunications and telegraph, research, industrial park, dock, wharf, airport, recreational, convention center, trade center, headquarters and mass transit facilities in this state, and the furnishing of electric energy, gas and water in this state, are necessary to retain existing industry in, and attract new industry to, this state, and to protect the health, welfare and safety of the citizens of this state. 66.1103(1)(c)(c) It is found and declared that the revitalization of counties and of the central business districts of the municipalities of this state is necessary to retain existing industry in, and attract new industry to, this state and to protect the health, welfare and safety of residents of this state. 66.1103(2)(2) Definitions. As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires: 66.1103(2)(a)(a) “Authorized developer” means a corporation organized under ch. 180 or 181 which the governing body designates as an authorized developer after making a finding that the principal purpose of the corporation is the general promotion of business development in the municipality or county or in the local area containing the municipality or county. 66.1103(2)(b)(b) “Distributor” includes any person engaged primarily in the business of making sales of any products of agriculture, forestry, mining or manufacture in the ordinary course of business to purchasers for purposes of resale or further processing or manufacturing. 66.1103(2)(c)(c) “Eligible participant” includes any person, other than the state or any other governmental unit, who enters into a revenue agreement with a municipality or county with respect to an industrial project. If more than one eligible participant is a party to a revenue agreement, the undertaking of each shall be either several or joint and several as the revenue agreement provides. An eligible participant need not be directly or indirectly a user of the project. 66.1103(2)(d)(d) “Equip” means to install or place on or in any building or improvements or the site of the building or improvements equipment of any kind, including machinery, utility service connections, pollution control facilities, building service equipment, fixtures, heating equipment and air conditioning equipment.