What has WBA done for you lately?
Government Affairs:
State Budget: prevented the doubling of the real estate transfer tax from $3 per $1000 to $6 per $1000 and harmful tax changes to undeveloped land.
Fire Sprinklers: prevented a very harmful rule change from going through the legislature and were able to negotiate a better deal for multifamily builders.
Fire Data Bill: passed a bipartisan bill to help collect better information in Wisconsin on fire deaths that will help improve fire safety in housing in future years.
Pier Bill: This bill exempts all existing piers that were not illegal when they were put in and contains a provision to give those building multifamily buildings assurances to the number of piers they will be allowed to construct based on number of units and/or waterfront footage.
Home Builder Continuing Education Bill: This bill changed the requirement that contractors have 12 continuing education credits every 2 years instead of 6 continuing education credits every year.
Builder and Consumer Education Public Relations Funds Remain
This provision was contained in the governor’s initial budget and would not require the Department of Commerce to release the builder and consumer education funds. The final version of the budget contained no language on this issue, thus preserving the funds and program to be used to educate builders and consumers in the future.
Compromise for Tipping Fee Increases
The Governor’s budget contained a $6 increase per ton for in and out-of-state trash. The Senate Democrats version of the budget contained a $10 increase per ton for in and out-of-state trash. The budget contained a $2.10 increase per ton of in and out-of-state trash. This modest increase in the tipping fee is a victory for WBA when compared to the $6/ton and $10 per ton proposed earlier in the budget process.
DOA: Government Takeover of Wisconsin’s Healthcare System
The provision would have levied a tax on business and each worker to pay for a state-run health care system. The compromise budget made more modest changes to provide help with health care to Wisconsin’s most vulnerable citizens without a huge tax increase for all Wisconsinites. Deletion of this huge increase and government takeover of Wisconsin’s health care system is a win for WBA.
DNR Secretary: WBA helped defeat a proposal that would have given the DNR Board the power to appoint the DNR Secretary, not the governor. WBA, along with a number of business groups, felt that this change would weaken the amount of accountability the DNR Secretary currently has when he is appointed by the governor. This provision was passed by the full State Senate and by the Assembly Natural Resources Committee but was not passed by the full State Assembly.
Development Council
Impact Fee Trailer Bill: This legislation made several changes to the impact fee statutes. Most notability for fees collected after April 10, 2006. Fees collected within seven years of the effective date of the ordinance must be used within ten years of the effective date of the ordinance. This bill also established a new provision that restricts the rate charged for professional services (fees for engineering, legal and other professional services) passed through to developers to the rate customarily paid by the municipality for similar services. This bill was the main legislative accomplishment for the WBA Development Council and was signed into law on January 4, 2008 and is now 2007 Wisconsin Act 44.
Great Lakes Compact (SB 523). This bill would have ratified the Great Lakes Compact. The Compact will only become effective only after it is ratified through concurring legislation by the eight Great Lakes states and consented to by Congress. The Development Council lobbied extensively on this bill, and testified at legislative hearings on this bill.
Charter Towns (AB 118, SB 17, SB 36). WBA fought against the original Charter Towns proposal that would block annexations and against the amended version of the bill.
Plat Review Fees: The Development Council just recently negotiated a deal on proposed plat review fee increase, which will save the development industry thousands of dollars compared to the Department of Administration's original proposal.
DNR Rules: The Development Council is at the table working for developers when new regulatory requirements are being considered. For example, we have been, and continue to be, extensively involved in rule proposals relating to shoreland zoning, erosion control and stormwater management, and stormwater pond sediments, each of which could significantly impact developers and the affordability of housing.
No Change to Land Use Value (State Budget). This provision would have called for the exclusion of land platted and zoned for residential, commercial, or industrial use from land use value. This provision was contained in the budget passed by the State Senate Democrats. The final version of the budget contained no change to current law.
Wetland Identification / delineation bills (AB 915, SB 553). Under these bills, individuals could pay DNR a fee to do an on-site identification of a wetland or an on-site confirmation of a 3rd party delineation. In addition, this bill required municipalities to provide a notice concerning wetlands to building permit applicants. The Development Council testified on these bills, raising a number of issues regarding how to improve the bills. These bills ultimately died in the Legislature, but are likely to come back next legislative session.
Drainage District Bill (2007 Wi. Act 121). Among other items, this bill originally required local units of government to notify drainage districts when they were taking action that would allow development of property that would impact a drainage district. In addition, the bill set forth a process and timeframe for drainage districts to obtain delays in the municipality taking action on a development. After extensive negotiations, this bill was modified to specify that failure to provide notice to the drainage district did not invalidate any decision of the local government. Also, the bill was amended to require drainage districts to provide local governments of engineering studies being conducted by the drainage districts rather than having a process and timelines for obtaining delays. This provision was signed into law on March 20th.
Extraterritorial Plat Approval Based On Land Use (AB 423). Since a 2003 Supreme Court case (Wood. v. City of Madison), a city with extraterritorial plat approval over a plat could object to the plat on the basis on land use outside the city limits. This bill would have changed the law back to what it was prior to this Court decision. Under the bill, a city could not object to a plat on the basis of the proposed use of land within the extraterritorial plat review jurisdiction unless the denial is based on regulations adopted under a statute setting forth a cooperative process for towns and municipalities for extraterritorial zoning. This bill passed the Assembly, and died in Committee in the Senate.
Shoreland Zoning. The Development Council has worked extensively over the past year on DNR’s proposed rules relating to shoreland zoning. We have testified on the rules and worked to turn members out at hearings on the rules, provided written comments on this proposal, and participated in numerous negotiating sessions on the rules.
Runoff Management Rules. The Development Council has been serving on a DNR Committee that is rewriting Wisconsin’s runoff management standards.
Sediment from Stormwater Ponds. The Development Council is also serving on a DNR Committee that is examining requirements for handling contaminated sediments from stormwater ponds. In general, we have contended that DNR should recognize the lower risk associated with sediments from residential areas, and treat them differently. In addition, we have reminded the DNR that imposing stringent sediment handling requirements may provide a disincentive in regard to cleaning ponds.
Education:
New! Contractor Education DVD or online! 12 credit WI Commerce approved course you can take at home
WBA education (through a grant with the Department of Commerce) coordinated, developed and scheduled 10 individual Uniform Dwelling Code classes in centrally geographical locations around the state of Wisconsin from Jan 30 to May 2, 2008.
WBA education also developed the comprehensive 12 hour New Builder Education Qualifier Classes & scheduled 3 additional sessions in 2008 in places as far from Madison as Minong, Minocqua, and Rice Lake.
WBA Insurance Services
Provide discounted group health insurance for single employee companies all the way up to large companies. Provide health insurance, life insurance, executive benefits, business continuation planning, retirement plans, education planning and investment planning and analysis.
The WBA Remodelers Council
The Remodelers Council provides industry information, education and certification.
- Home Improvement Codes and Remodeling Contracts Lunch n' Learn
- Learn how to protect your business against DATCP 110 and the fallout from the recent Wisconsin Supreme Court decision in Stuart v. Weisflog.
- Keep informed about new lead regulations
Public Relations / Communications
- Badger Builder bi-monthly magazine
- Wisconsin Building News monthly newsletter
- Web site kept current with news, dates and information to help your business
