27.10 Taxation and finance.

(1) In cities under 150,000.

(a) The board of park commissioners in every city under 150,000 population shall, prior to October 1 in each year, make an estimate of the expenditures by said board during the ensuing calendar year including all necessary incidental expenses, and also an estimate of the amount necessary for the purchase of land for parks, parkways, boulevards and pleasure drives, and transmit the same to the common council. Such part of said estimates as the council shall approve shall be included in the city budget. Said board shall transmit to the common council prior to March 1 of each year a full detailed report of all its transactions for the preceding year, together with an itemized account of all receipts and expenditures, a list of employees, and an inventory of property in charge of the board.

(b) All moneys appropriated for park purposes, or received by subscription, gift, fees or otherwise for parks, parkways, boulevards or pleasure drives, shall be paid over to the city treasurer and be disbursed by orders of the city clerk drawn upon the city treasurer to pay accounts or bills that have been audited and allowed by said board and presented to the city clerk. Such orders shall be paid by the clerk and treasurer in the manner provided by s. 66.0607. The board shall not contract any liability on the part of the city in excess of the budget authorized by the common council.

(3) Tax for parks; collection and expenditure of proceeds. The common councils of all 1st class cities are hereby authorized and directed to include in the tax levy of each year, upon all taxable property of any such city, at the same time and in the same manner as other city taxes are levied and collected by law, a tax at a level determined by the board of park commissioners of such city, and certified to the common council and the city comptroller on or before such day in each year designated by law for making and filing with the city comptroller reports and estimates for the purpose of making up the budget for the ensuing fiscal year. The entire amount of such tax shall be collected, paid into and held in the city treasury as a separate and distinct fund to be known as the park and boulevard fund, and shall not be used or appropriated directly or indirectly for any other purpose than for the improvement, maintenance and control of the public parks and boulevards of such city, and for the payment of the salaries of the employees and other proper expenses of such board of park commissioners; provided, that of the said tax levied and collected in any such city, two-tenths of a mill upon each dollar of the assessed value of its taxable property shall be used each year by its board of park commissioners solely for the purpose of filling in and improving and maintaining as a public park or boulevard any strip of submerged land granted or which may be granted to said city to be managed, controlled, improved and maintained by its board of park commissioners; and provided further, that of said tax levied and collected in any such city one-tenth of a mill upon each dollar of the assessed value of its taxable property shall be used each year by its board of park commissioners solely for the purpose of improving and maintaining any zoological garden which may be managed, controlled, improved and maintained by its board of park commissioners.

(4) Special assessments for parks in all cities.

(a) Whenever any change of grade or improvement of parks, parkways, boulevards or pleasure drives within the limits of any city is proposed by its board of park commissioners at the expense of the real estate to be benefited thereby, it shall view the premises and determine the damages and benefits which will accrue to each parcel of real estate by such proposed change or improvement, and the entire cost thereof. Said board shall make and file in its office a preliminary report showing its said determinations.

(b) Notice shall be given by the board that such report is open for review at its office, and that on a day and hour named therein, said board will hear all objections that may be made to such report. Such notice shall be published as a class 2 notice, under ch. 985.

(c) At the time specified for hearing objections to said report, said board shall hear all parties interested, who appear for that purpose, reduce to writing all objections made and all evidence offered to sustain the same, and may review, modify and correct said report as it deems just. At such hearing any member of the board may administer oaths.

(d) Thereupon a complete and final report and determination shall be made and filed by the board in its office, together with all objections and evidence and proof by affidavit of the publication, which affidavit shall be presumptive evidence of the facts therein stated. No irregularity in the form of any of said proceedings shall affect the legality thereof, unless it shall appear that the owners of the property affected were misled by such irregularity and have not had an opportunity to be fairly heard.

(e) When such final determination has been reached the board shall, within the next following 15 days, publish as a class 1 notice, under ch. 985, that a final determination has been made and is on file in its office as to the benefits and damages that will accrue to the real estate affected by the proposed change or improvement.

(f) The owner of any parcel of land mentioned in said notice feeling aggrieved by such final determination may, within 30 days after the date thereof commence an action in the circuit court to correct or redress such grievance. Any contract already entered into for making the proposed change or improvement shall not be affected by said action, but a certificate against the parcel of real estate in question for the amount of benefits assessed to such parcel shall be issued notwithstanding such action; and in case the plaintiff shall succeed, the difference between the amount charged in the certificate so issued and the amount adjudged to be paid as benefits accruing to the parcel of real estate described in such certificate shall be paid from the funds of the park district. Said action shall be the only remedy of the owner of any parcel of land or of any person interested therein affected by such change or improvement for the redress of any such grievance.

(g) If in any such action the court determines that any such special assessment is invalid for any cause, the board shall forthwith make a new assessment against the property of the plaintiff as such original assessment should have been made, in accordance with s. 66.0731.

History: 1985 a. 29; 1999 a. 150 s. 672.