27.11 Board of public land commissioners.

(1) Created by ordinance. Every city may create by ordinance a board of public land commissioners consisting of the commissioner of public works, the city engineer, and 3 resident citizens, with power to convert streets and highways designated by the common council into parkways or boulevards.

(2) Appointment and organization.

(a) Such resident commissioners shall be appointed by the mayor, subject to the approval of the common council, within 60 days after such creation of the board.

(b) The terms of the appointive members of the first board shall terminate as follows: Of one member on the next ensuing first day of January; of one member on the 2nd ensuing first day of January; and of one member on the 3rd ensuing first day of January. The commissioner of public works and the city engineer shall serve on said board during their respective terms of office. Each commissioner shall hold office until a successor is appointed and qualified. In December immediately preceding the expiration of the term of any appointive member, the mayor shall appoint the member's successor to serve for a term of 3 years.

(3) Salaries of members. The common council may fix and provide for the payment of a salary or salaries for one or more of the members of said board, when it is satisfied that such payment is necessary in order to carry out the purposes of this section, which salaries shall be paid solely out of the fund named in sub. (8), unless other provision shall be made in said ordinance for the payment of the same.

(4) Functions of board; employees.

(a) Said commissioners may appoint such clerks, assistants and workmen as they deem necessary and proper for the proper discharge of their duties, subject, however, to such regulations in respect to the number of such employees to be appointed and their compensation as the common council may by ordinance prescribe.

(b) Said board may acquire, in the name of the city, lands and improvements thereon, within a distance of 500 feet on either side of and abutting on any public street or highway in the city for the purpose of converting the same into a parkway or boulevard. Said lands may be acquired by purchase, gift, or condemnation, but only after such acquisition shall have been recommended to the common council by said board and ordered by resolution of said common council. Any gift of land for the purposes specified in this section shall first be accepted by the common council upon the recommendation of said board before the same shall become the property of such city.

(c) Said board may, however, either prior or subsequent to such approval obtain from any or all of the respective owners contracts or options, in the name of said city, for the acquisition of said lands, or any part thereof, or any leasehold or other interest or claim therein or thereto; and said board may in such case pay out of the public land fund created by sub. (8) any charges or expenses by it incurred in procuring such contracts or options. But any such contract or option shall not be binding upon, nor shall it create any liability against, the city until it shall have been reported and recommended by said board to the common council and approved by resolution of the common council recorded in its minutes.

(d) Said board may manage, control, govern, improve, subdivide, resubdivide and plat, any land so acquired; and also to mortgage and sell the same, or parcels thereof, on such terms and with such restrictions and reservations as it deems necessary in order to convert such street or highway into a parkway or boulevard, and to protect the same and its environs, and preserve the view, appearance, light, air, health, and usefulness thereof.

(5) Maintenance. Whenever said board deems it necessary to grade, pave, curb, repair, or repave any parkway or boulevard laid out and established under this section, or any part thereof, including the sidewalks thereof, said board shall recommend its proposed improvement to the common council, describing its plan, and submitting a plat for the same. The common council shall, if it deems such improvement necessary, direct the officer, board, or body having charge of the improvement of streets therein, to make an estimate of the cost of such improvement, which shall be placed on file in the office of said officer, board, or body, and be open to the inspection of the public.

(7) Liabilities payable from proceeds of operations. No corporate liability whatever shall in any event be created under this section against any city, except to pay for lands condemned. All securities issued by said board and the damages for lands condemned shall be payable solely out of the proceeds of the operation of such board and the public land fund named in sub. (8). Such securities shall not be issued in an amount in excess of the cost to such city of such lands and 10 percent of such cost in addition thereto.

(8) Public land fund.

(a) All appropriations to the board of public land commissioners and all receipts from the sale of real estate pursuant to sub. (4) shall constitute a fund denominated the public land fund. Said fund shall be drawn upon only by orders signed by the president and secretary of such board and countersigned by the city comptroller in cities having such officer, and by the city clerk in other cities. Moneys from the resale of land in the public land fund shall either be appropriated by the common council to the board of public land commissioners, the proceeds thereof to be used for any of its legal purposes, or shall be placed by the common council in any sinking fund to retire bonds issued for the purposes specified in this section; provided, that no appropriation to the board of public land commissioners shall revert to the general fund, but shall continue, except as otherwise provided in this section, as a continuing appropriation of the public land fund.

(b) Said board shall report to the common council in such city on or before the first meeting in September in each year the amount of money required for carrying out the purposes of this section, and the common council may provide such funds as it deems reasonably sufficient for such purposes and may cause to be levied and collected for such purpose an annual tax. Said tax shall be independent of the general purposes tax to be levied by said common council. Any unexpended surplus remaining in said public land fund at the close of the fiscal year shall become a part of the revenue of said board of land commissioners for the purposes aforesaid. The tax as herein provided shall not become effective or apply in any city until the question shall be submitted to a vote of the electors thereof by resolution or ordinance adopted by the common council, which shall provide for the time of holding such election. If approved by the majority of the votes cast upon that question in any city it shall go into effect in such city, otherwise it shall not take effect. Upon the ballot provided for such election shall be printed the following: “Shall the common council annually cause to be levied and collected at the same time and in the same manner as other taxes are levied and collected such sum or sums as they shall deem sufficient for the purpose of providing a public land fund?" Such election shall be held and the votes cast, counted, canvassed and returned in the same manner as at general city elections.

(c) The receipts from rentals of property under the management of the board of public land commissioners shall constitute a revolving fund from which said board may expend such sums as may be necessary for the maintenance, operation, or repair of such property. From said fund sums not to exceed $500 may be drawn upon for such purpose without special order of the common council. Within 10 days after the close of each fiscal year, however, the net proceeds from rentals during such year shall be transferred from the revolving fund herein created to the general city fund.

(9) Audit of accounts. Every claim or account arising under this section shall be audited and allowed by said board before an order is issued therefor. Immediately after such allowance said board shall furnish the city comptroller, in cities having such officer, and in other cities, the city clerk, with a copy of such claim or account or a statement of the character thereof, materials furnished, or services rendered, and said comptroller or clerk shall then audit the same before countersigning said order. Said board shall transmit to the common council at its first regular meeting in January of each year a full and detailed report of all transactions of said board for the preceding year together with their itemized account of all expenditures, a list of employees, an inventory of property, the purchase price thereof, and a description of all mortgages and securities issued and outstanding.

(10) Suspension or abolition of board. The common council may by a two-thirds vote of the alderpersons-elect either suspend the operation of or abolish such board. In case of such suspension or abolition the common council may exercise the powers of such board so far as may be necessary to carry out the terms of any contract or complete any proceeding already entered into by such board.

(11) Powers delegated to other boards. Every city may vest the powers, duties, and restrictions specified in this section, upon its board of park commissioners or any other existing board or commission, by an ordinance of its common council, in lieu of creating a board of public land commissioners under this section.

(12) Seven-member board, cities of the 1st class.

(a) In cities of the 1st class the common council may create by ordinance a board of public land commissioners, consisting of 7 citizen members, the commissioner of public works and the city engineer not to be members, with the same purposes, powers, functions, conditions and terms as boards of public land commissioners created otherwise under this section.

(b) Commissioners under this subsection shall be appointed by the mayor, subject to the approval of the common council, within 60 days after the creation of the board, and such commissioners are to be persons of general qualifications rather than specialists or technicians in any particular phase of city planning.

(c) Terms of the members of the first board shall terminate as follows: Of 2 members on the next ensuing January 1; of 2 members on the 2nd ensuing January 1; and of 3 members on the 3rd ensuing January 1. Each commissioner shall hold office until a successor is appointed and qualified. In December immediately preceding the expiration of the terms of any members, the mayor shall appoint their successors for a term of 3 years.

(13) May exercise powers of city plan commission. In cities of the 1st class, said board of public land commissioners shall exercise all the powers conferred on city plan commissions by s. 62.23.

History: 1973 c. 138; 1985 a. 29; 1991 a. 316; 1993 a. 184; 2001 a. 103.