Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations
Chapter 24 - Public domain and the trust funds.
24.66 - The application.

24.66 The application.
(1) For all municipalities.
(ag) No trust fund loan may be made unless an application is made to the board under this section. The application shall state the amount of money required, the purpose to which it is to be applied, the times and terms of repayment, and, in the case of a cooperative educational service agency, the names of the school districts participating in the distance education project for which the loan is sought.
(bg) An application for a general obligation trust fund loan shall be accompanied by satisfactory proof of all of the following:
1. The valuation of all the taxable property within the municipality as equalized for state purposes.
2. All the existing indebtedness of the municipality.
3. The approval of the application as required by subs. (2) to (4).
(cg) An application for a revenue obligation trust fund loan shall be accompanied by all of the following:
1. If the loan is for a project that will be secured in the manner specified in s. 24.60 (2m) (a), a statement of the revenue that the municipality anticipates receiving from moneys generated by that project, and the municipality's pledge and first priority assignment of those revenues to pay off the loan.
2. If the loan is for project costs that will be secured in the manner specified in s. 24.60 (2m) (b) to (d), a statement of the tax increments that the municipality anticipates will be allocated to the municipality for those project costs by the department of revenue and the municipality's pledge and first priority assignment of that allocation to pay off the loan.
3. Satisfactory proof of the amount of annual shared revenue payments made to the municipality under subch. I of ch. 79 in the year immediately preceding the year in which the application for the loan is made.
4. Satisfactory proof of the approval of the application as required by sub. (2).
(2) For municipalities other than school districts, public inland lake districts, town sanitary districts or sewerage districts. Every application shall be approved and authorized for a town, by the signatures of a majority of its supervisors acknowledged as conveyances of land are acknowledged; for a village, by a majority vote of its trustees; for a city, by a majority vote of the members of its common council; and for a county, by a majority vote of the members of its board of supervisors at some regular or special session thereof. Every vote so required shall be by ayes and noes duly recorded.
(2m) For public inland lake districts. Every application shall be approved and authorized for a public inland lake protection and rehabilitation district by a majority of the commissioners of the district.
(2p) For sewerage districts. Every application for a loan under this section to a sewerage district created under s. 200.05 shall be approved and authorized by a majority of the commissioners of the district; to a sewerage district created under s. 200.23, as provided under s. 200.27 (2) (a); and to a joint sewerage system created under s. 281.43 (4), as provided under s. 281.43 (4) (d).
(2r) For town sanitary districts. Every application for a loan under this section to a town sanitary district created under s. 60.71 shall be approved and authorized by a majority of the commissioners of the district.
(3) For school districts.
(a) For long-term loans by common, union high and 1st class city school districts. Every application for a loan, the required repayment of which exceeds 10 years, shall be approved and authorized for a common, union high or 1st class city school district by a vote of a majority of its legal voters voting on this question. If the vote is taken at a special meeting the objects thereof shall be clearly stated in the notice of the meeting. The application shall state the facts in detail respecting the holding of the meeting, and the taking and the result of the vote required. The application shall be signed by a majority of the members of the district board and verified by the clerk. The statement accompanying the application shall contain a correct map or plat of the district. If the district is a joint district, the statement accompanying the application shall show the assessed valuation in its several parts separately, so that the valuation of each part of the district which lies in each town or municipality may be readily shown.
(am) For short-term loans by common, union high and 1st class city school districts. Every application for a loan, the required repayment of which is 10 years or less, shall be approved and authorized for a common, union high or 1st class city school district under par. (a) or (c), to the extent applicable.
(b) For long-term loans by unified school districts. Every application for a loan, the required repayment of which exceeds 10 years, shall be approved and authorized for a unified school district by a majority vote of the members of the school board at a regular or special meeting of the school board. Every vote so required shall be by ayes and noes duly recorded. In addition, the application shall be approved for a unified school district by a majority vote of the electors of the school district at a special election as provided under sub. (4).
(bm) For short-term loans by unified school districts. Every application for a loan, the required repayment of which is 10 years or less, shall be approved and authorized for a unified school district under par. (b) or (c), to the extent applicable.
(c) Alternative short-term loan process for all school districts.
1. If the procedure in par. (a) or (b) is not used for the approval of a school district loan, the required repayment of which is 10 years or less, the governing body of the school district, before any certificate of indebtedness is issued, shall adopt and record a resolution specifying the purposes and the maximum amount of the certificate of indebtedness issued.
2. Unless the purpose and amount of the borrowing have been approved by the electors under s. 67.05 (6a) or considered approved by the electors under s. 67.05 (7) (d) 3., the purpose is to refund any outstanding obligation, the purpose is to pay unfunded prior service liability contributions under the Wisconsin Retirement System if all of the proceeds of the note will be used for that purpose, or the borrowing would not be subject to a referendum as a bond issue under s. 67.05 (7) (cc), (er), (h), or (i), or s. 67.12 (12) (e) 2g., (f), or (h) applies, the school district clerk shall, within 10 days after a governing body of a school district adopts a resolution as described above to issue a certificate of indebtedness, publish notice of such adoption as a class 1 notice, under ch. 985. Alternatively, the notice may be posted as provided under s. 10.05. The notice need not set forth the full contents of the resolution, but shall state the maximum amount proposed to be borrowed, the purpose thereof, that the resolution was adopted under this subsection, and the place where, and the hours during which, the resolution may be inspected. If, within 30 days after publication or posting, a petition conforming to the requirements of s. 8.40 is filed with the school district clerk for a referendum on the resolution signed by at least 7,500 electors of the district or at least 20 percent of the number of district electors voting for governor at the last general election, as determined under s. 115.01 (13), whichever is the lesser, then the resolution shall not be effective unless adopted by a majority of the district electors voting at the referendum. The referendum shall be called in the manner provided under s. 67.05 (6a), except that the question which appears on the ballot shall be “Shall .... (name of district) borrow the sum of $.... for (state purpose) by issuing its general obligation promissory note (or notes) under section 24.66 (3) of the Wisconsin Statutes?". If a governing body of a school district adopts a resolution to borrow a sum of money under this subsection and a sufficient petition for referendum is not filed within the time permitted, then the power of the governing body of a school district to borrow the sum and expend the sum for the purpose stated shall be deemed approved by the school district electors upon the expiration of the time for filing the petition.
3. If the governing body of a school district adopts a resolution to borrow a sum of money under this subsection, and if subd. 2. does not apply, the governing body of a school district has the power to borrow and spend the sum for the purpose stated without the approval of the electors of the school district.
(3m) For educational technology or distance education loans. An application by a county, city, village or town to undertake an educational technology or distance education project shall be accompanied by a resolution of the county or municipal library board for that county, city, village or town requesting the county, city, village or town to apply for the loan for the purpose of conducting an educational technology or distance education project.
(3r) For a drainage district. An application for a loan by a drainage district created under ch. 88 shall be accompanied by a certified copy of a resolution of the board of the drainage district approving the loan.
(3s) For cooperative educational service agencies. An application for a loan by a cooperative educational service agency shall be accompanied by a certified copy of a resolution of the board of control of the agency approving the loan and shall contain satisfactory proof of the valuation of all taxable property within each school district for which the loan is sought as equalized for state purposes, of the existing indebtedness of each such school district and of approval of the application by each school district in the same manner as provided for a loan to that school district for the same amount and terms under sub. (3).
(3v) For federated public library systems. An application for a loan by a federated public library system shall be accompanied by a certified copy of a resolution of the board of the federated public library system approving the loan.
(3w) Local professional baseball park district. An application for a loan by a local professional baseball park district created under subch. III of ch. 229 shall be accompanied by a certified copy of a resolution of the district board of the local professional baseball park district approving the loan.
(3y) Local exposition district. An application for a loan by a local exposition district created under subch. II of ch. 229 shall be accompanied by a certified copy of a resolution of the district board of the local exposition district approving the loan.
(4) Popular vote, when required. If any municipality is not empowered by law to incur indebtedness for a particular purpose without first submitting the question to its electors, the application for a state trust fund loan for that purpose must be approved and authorized by a majority vote of the electors at a special election called, noticed and held in the manner provided for other special elections. The question to be voted on shall be filed as provided in s. 8.37. The notice of the election shall state the amount of the proposed loan and the purpose for which it will be used.
(5) Irrepealable tax levy.
(a) Every application for a general obligation trust fund loan under this section by a municipality shall be accompanied by a certified copy under the hand of the proper clerk of a recorded resolution adopted by the municipality applying for or approving the loan, levying, except as provided in par. (b), upon all the taxable property of the municipality a direct annual tax for the purpose of paying and sufficient to pay the principal and interest on the proposed loan as they become due. In a 1st class city school district, the application shall be accompanied by a certified copy of a resolution, adopted by the board of school directors, stating that it is the intention of the board of school directors to include in its budget transmitted to the common council under s. 119.16 (8) (b) a written notice specifying the amount of money necessary to pay the principal and interest on the loan as they become due. Every application for a general obligation trust fund loan under this subsection by a cooperative educational service agency shall be accompanied by a copy of a recorded resolution adopted by the school board of each school district for which the loan is sought, certified by the school district clerk of that school district, levying upon all taxable property of the school district a direct annual tax for the purpose of paying and sufficient to pay the school district's share of the principal and interest on the proposed loan as they become due. The levy imposed by the municipality shall be void if the board declines to make the loan; otherwise it shall remain valid and irrepealable until the loan and all interest on the loan are fully paid.
(b) To the extent that the proceeds of a loan to a municipality will be used in a utility district established under s. 66.0827, the direct annual tax under par. (a) may be levied in whole or in part upon all taxable property within the utility district.
(6) Proceedings to be recorded and become conclusive evidence. The application, statement and all accompanying exhibits and documents shall be recorded in the office of the board and, together with the record, is conclusive evidence of the facts stated.
History: 1979 c. 221, 355; 1981 c. 169; Stats. 1981 s. 24.66; 1983 a. 196, 423; 1985 a. 49, 218, 225; 1987 a. 76, 79; 1995 a. 27, 227, 417; 1997 a. 27; 1999 a. 150 s. 672; 1999 a. 182; 2001 a. 16; 2001 a. 30 s. 108; 2007 a. 20; 2009 a. 2, 28; 2011 a. 71; 2015 a. 55, 60; 2021 a. 239 s. 74.

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