229.26 Exposition center.

(1) Any city of the 1st class may in addition to all other powers conferred upon it establish and maintain a convention complex and exposition center, hereinafter termed “convention institution", for the purpose of holding conventions, public meetings, expositions, exhibits, trade shows, gatherings, conferences and other related purposes of a public nature which are hereby declared to be public purposes.

(2) The building, maintenance and operation of the convention institution shall be under the complete and autonomous control of a board which shall act independently and shall be designated as the “(city) Exposition and Convention Center and Arena Board". Such board shall be composed of the number of members as provided for by resolution adopted by the common council of such city. The common council shall prescribe the terms of members of the board and shall designate the manner in which they shall be selected. The board may sue and be sued.

(3) The board shall have complete maintenance, supervision, control and operation of the convention institution and it shall regulate, control and designate the use thereof. The board shall also fix the terms and conditions for its use and do all things necessary for the maintenance and operation thereof and it shall handle all finances of the convention institution.

(4) Title to all property real or personal of the convention institution shall be in the name of such city and shall, except as provided in s. 229.47 (1), be held by such city for such purposes, but the board shall determine the use to which such property shall be devoted as provided for in this section.

(4m) A common council that creates a convention institution under this section may dissolve the convention institution and the convention institution's board and transfer all of the assets and liabilities owned or administered by the convention institution if the common council enters into a transfer agreement under s. 229.47 (1) with a district that has jurisdiction over the territory in which the convention institution is located.

(5) The common council of such city may appropriate such sums as may be required to supplement revenues of the convention institution in order for the board to regulate, control and operate the convention institution. The board may receive gifts and contributions from any source as in the judgment of such board shall be consistent and in keeping with the general operations and public purpose of the convention institution.

(6) The common council may by resolution adopted by it impose additional duties and responsibilities upon the board in connection with the operation, maintenance and control of such convention institution, however, the board shall itself determine the manner in which such operation shall be performed.

(7) In addition to all other powers of the board, the board may hire and retain personnel including the selection of a general manager for the convention institution and the board shall determine the manner of selection of all of its employees. The board shall establish the compensation for its personnel but shall relate as far as possible to general wage rates of such city of the 1st class for comparable work performed. The board may also enter into contracts on behalf of the board without first obtaining approval of the common council of such city and such contracts may be entered into with respect to all matters which relate to the operation, control and use of the convention institution as determined by the board.

(8) The board shall report annually or more frequently as the common council so determines with respect to all receipts and disbursements of the board, balances of the board's funds and all other matters which bear upon the board's operations. Expenditures made by the board from funds under its control shall not require prior approval of the common council of such city.

(10) If the employees who perform services for the board are included within one or more collective bargaining units under subch. IV of ch. 111 that do not include other employees of the sponsoring municipality, and a collective bargaining agreement exists between the sponsoring municipality and the representative of those employees in any such unit, and if the common council enters into a transfer agreement under s. 229.47 (1), the board shall transfer its functions under that collective bargaining agreement to a local exposition district under subch. II in accordance with the transfer agreement. Upon the effective date of the transfer, the local exposition district shall carry out the functions of the employer under that agreement. Notwithstanding s. 111.70 (4) (d), during the term of any such collective bargaining agreement that is in effect at the time of the transfer, the existing collective bargaining unit to which the agreement applies shall not be altered.

History: 1971 c. 257; 1975 c. 47; 1993 a. 263; 2015 a. 60.