Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations
Chapter 16 - Department of administration.
16.848 - Sale or lease of state property or facilities.

16.848 Sale or lease of state property or facilities.
(1)
(a) Except as provided in sub. (2), the department may offer for sale or lease any state-owned real property, if the department determines that the sale or lease is in the best interest of the state, unless prohibited under the state or federal constitution or federal law or the sale is conducted as a part of a procedure to enforce an obligation to this state. Any sale may be either on the basis of public bids, with the department reserving the right to reject any bid in the best interest of the state, or on the basis of negotiated prices as determined through a competitive or transparent process. If the department receives an offer to purchase or lease property offered under this subsection, the department may submit a report to the building commission recommending acceptance of the offer. The report shall contain a description of the property and the reasons for the recommendation. The department may recommend the sale or lease of property with or without the approval of the agency, as defined in s. 16.52 (7), having jurisdiction over the property and regardless of whether the property is included in an inventory submitted under s. 13.48 (14) (d). If the building commission approves the proposed sale or lease, the department shall submit the proposed sale or lease to the joint committee on finance for approval under par. (b).
(b) If the department proposes to sell or lease any property identified in par. (a), the department shall first notify the joint committee on finance in writing of its proposed action. The department shall not proceed with the proposed action unless the proposed action is approved by the committee. Together with any notification, the department shall also provide all of the following:
1. The estimated value of the property as determined by the department and by at least one qualified privately owned assessor.
2. The full cost of retiring any remaining public debt incurred to finance the acquisition, construction, or improvement of the property.
3. A cost-benefit analysis that considers the short-term and long-term costs and benefits to the state from selling or leasing the property.
4. The length and conditions of any proposed sale or lease between this state and a proposed purchaser or lessee.
5. The estimated budgetary impact of the proposed sale or lease upon affected state agencies for at least the current and following fiscal biennium.
5m. The methodology to ensure the competitive and transparent sale of the property.
6. Any other information requested by the committee.
(c) Except with respect to property identified in sub. (2), if any agency, as defined in s. 16.52 (7), has authority to sell or lease real property under any other law, the authority of that agency does not apply after the department notifies the agency in writing that an offer of sale or sale, or a lease agreement, is pending with respect to the property under this paragraph. If the sale or lease is not completed and no further action is pending with respect to the property, the authority of the agency to sell or lease the property is restored. If the department sells or leases any state-owned real property under this paragraph, the department may attach such conditions to the sale or lease as it finds to be necessary or appropriate to carry out the sale or lease in the best interest of the state. If the department sells or leases a state-owned heating, cooling, or power plant under this paragraph, the department may contract with the purchaser or lessee to purchase the output of the plant.
(1e) If the department sells or leases any real property under sub. (1) that was under the jurisdiction of an agency, as defined in s. 16.52 (7), prior to the sale or lease, the agency shall convey all systems, fixtures, or additional property interests specified by the department to the purchaser or lessee of the property on terms specified by the department. If the department sells or leases a state-owned heating, cooling, or power plant that is under the jurisdiction of an agency, as defined in s. 16.52 (7), the agency shall convey all real and personal property associated with the plant to the purchaser or lessee on terms specified by the department.
(1m) If any property that is proposed to be sold by the department under sub. (1) is co-owned by a nonstate entity, the department shall afford to that entity the right of first refusal to purchase the share of the property owned by the state on reasonable financial terms established by the department.
(1s)
(a) If the department sells or leases any facility under sub. (1) that is operated by an agency, as defined in s. 16.52 (7), on the day prior to the effective date of the sale or lease the secretary shall, notwithstanding s. 16.50 (1), require submission of expenditure estimates for approval under s. 16.50 (2) for each agency that proposes to expend moneys from any appropriation for the operation of the facility during the fiscal biennium in which the facility is sold or leased.
(b) Notwithstanding s. 16.50 (2), the secretary shall disapprove any such estimate for the period during which the facility is not operated by the agency. Subject to approval under par. (d), the secretary may then require the use of the amounts of any disapproved expenditure estimates for the purpose of purchase of contractual services from the facility or payment of the costs of purchasing services that were provided by the facility from an alternative source. Subject to approval under par. (d), if the department sells or leases a facility under this subsection, the secretary may identify any full-time equivalent positions authorized for the agency that was operating the facility the duties of which primarily relate to the management or operation of the facility, and may decrease the authorized full-time equivalent positions for the agency by the number of positions so identified effective on the effective date of the sale or lease.
(c) Notwithstanding s. 20.001 (3) (a) to (c) and subject to approval under par. (d), the secretary may lapse or transfer to the general fund from the unencumbered balance of appropriations to any agency, other than sum sufficient appropriations or appropriations of program revenues to the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System or appropriations of segregated or federal revenues, any amount appropriated to an agency that is determined by the secretary to be allocated for the management or operation of the facility that was sold or leased effective on the effective date of the sale or lease.
(d) Prior to taking any action to reallocate authorized expenditures, decrease authorized positions, or lapse or transfer moneys under par. (b) or (c), the secretary shall submit the proposed action in writing to the joint committee on finance. The secretary shall not proceed with the proposed action unless the proposed action is approved by the committee.
(2)
(am) Subsection (1) does not apply to any property for which the cost of acquisition, construction, and improvement was financed with at least 50 percent federal funds or at least 50 percent gift or grant funds.
(b) Subsection (1) does not apply to agricultural land acquired by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System under s. 36.33 (1).
(c) Subsection (1) does not apply to property sold by the department under s. 16.98 (3).
(d) Subsection (1) does not apply to lands under the jurisdiction of the board of commissioners of public lands.
(e) Subsection (1) does not apply to property under the jurisdiction of the department of natural resources, except central or district office facilities.
(f) Subsection (1) does not apply to lands acquired with revenues paid into the conservation fund under s. 70.58.
(g) Subsection (1) does not apply to property that is subject to sale by the department of veterans affairs under s. 45.32 (7), 2017 stats.
(gc) Subsection (1) does not apply to property that is subject to sale by the department of military affairs under s. 321.03 (2) (b).
(gg) Subsection (1) does not apply to property that is conveyed by the department of corrections under s. 301.25.
(gn) Subsection (1) does not apply to property that is subject to sale by the state under s. 20.909 (2).
(gr) Subsection (1) does not apply to land that is sold or traded by the Kickapoo reserve management board under s. 41.41 (7).
(gt) Subsection (1) does not apply to property that is donated by the department of transportation under s. 84.09 (5r).
(gx) Subsection (1) does not apply to any property that is owned or leased by the investment board.
(h) The department shall not sell any property under this section that is leased by the state until the lease expires or the lease is modified, renewed, or extended, whichever first occurs, without consent of the lessee.
(i) Subsection (1) does not apply to property that is traded by the department under sub. (5).
(4)
(a) Except as provided in s. 13.48 (14) (e), if there is any outstanding public debt used to finance the acquisition, construction, or improvement of any property that is sold or leased under sub. (1), the department shall deposit a sufficient amount of the net proceeds from the sale or lease of the property in the bond security and redemption fund under s. 18.09 to repay the principal and pay the interest on the debt, and any premium due upon refunding any of the debt. If there is any outstanding public debt used to finance the acquisition, construction, or improvement of any property that is sold or leased under sub. (1), the department shall then provide a sufficient amount of the net proceeds from the sale or lease of the property for the costs of maintaining federal tax law compliance applicable to the debt. If the property was acquired, constructed, or improved with federal financial assistance, the department shall pay to the federal government any of the net proceeds required by federal law. If the property was acquired by gift or grant or acquired with gift or grant funds, the department shall adhere to any restriction governing use of the proceeds. Except as required under ss. 13.48 (14) (e), 20.395 (9) (qd), and 51.06 (6), if there is no such debt outstanding, there are no moneys payable to the federal government, and there is no restriction governing use of the proceeds, and if the net proceeds exceed the amount required to be deposited, paid, or used for another purpose under this subsection, the department shall use the net proceeds or remaining net proceeds to pay principal and interest costs on outstanding public debt issued to finance the acquisition, construction, or improvement of property. If any net proceeds remain thereafter, the department shall use the proceeds to pay principal and interest costs on other outstanding public debt.
(b) For the purpose of paying principal and interest costs on other outstanding public debt under par. (a), the secretary may cause outstanding bonds to be called for redemption on or following their optional redemption date, establish one or more escrow accounts to redeem bonds at their optional redemption date, or purchase bonds in the open market. To the extent practical, the secretary shall consider all of the following in determining which public debt to redeem:
1. To the extent that debt service on the property being sold or leased was paid from a segregated fund, other outstanding public debt related to that segregated fund should be redeemed.
3. The extent to which general obligation debt that was issued to acquire, build, or improve the property being sold or leased is subject to current optional redemption, would require establishment of an escrow, or could be assigned for accounting purposes to another statutory bond purpose.
4. The fiscal benefit of redeeming outstanding debt with higher interest costs.
5. The costs of maintaining federal tax law compliance in the selection of general obligation debt to be redeemed.
(c) If there are any outstanding revenue obligations, issued pursuant to subch. II of ch. 18, used to finance the acquisition, construction, or improvement of any property that is sold or leased under sub. (1), the department shall deposit a sufficient amount of the net proceeds from the sale or lease of the property in the respective redemption fund provided under s. 18.561 (5) or 18.562 (3) to repay the principal and pay the interest on the revenue obligations, and any premium due upon refunding any of the revenue obligations. If there are any outstanding revenue obligations, issued pursuant to subch. II of ch. 18, used to finance the acquisition, construction, or improvement of any property that is sold or leased under sub. (1), the department shall then provide a sufficient amount of the net proceeds from the sale or lease of the property for the costs of maintaining federal tax law compliance applicable to the revenue obligations. For the purpose of paying principal and interest costs on other outstanding revenue obligations, the secretary may cause outstanding revenue obligations to be called for redemption on or following their optional redemption date, establish one or more escrow accounts to redeem obligations at their optional redemption date, or purchase bonds on the open market. Except as required under ss. 13.48 (14) (e), 20.395 (9) (qd), and 51.06 (6), if the net proceeds exceed the amount required to be deposited, paid, or used for another purpose under this paragraph, the department shall use the net proceeds or remaining net proceeds to pay principal and interest costs on other similar revenue obligations.
(5)
(a) In this subsection, “navigational system" has the meaning given in s. 237.01 (5).
(b) The department may trade a parcel of land that is part of the navigational system for another parcel of land if the parcels are of comparable value and any of the following applies:
1. The parcel to be received by the department is more suitable to the purposes of the navigational system than the parcel to be traded by the department.
2. The trade consolidates navigational system land.
3. The trade settles a boundary dispute or encroachment.
History: 2005 a. 25; 2007 a. 20 ss. 113, 114, 9121 (6) (a); 2007 a. 100; 2009 a. 180; 2011 a. 32; 2013 a. 20; 2013 a. 173 s. 33; 2015 a. 230, 357; 2017 a. 59; 2019 a. 9.

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