Wisconsin Code § 16.848

Sale or lease of state property or facilities
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(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 stateowned 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.

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