66.0817 Sale or lease of municipal public utility plant. A town, village or city may sell or lease any complete public utility plant owned by it in the following manner:

(1) A preliminary agreement with the prospective purchaser or lessee shall be authorized by a resolution or ordinance containing a summary of the terms proposed, of the disposition to be made of the proceeds, and of the provisions to be made for the protection of holders of obligations against the plant or against the municipality on account of the plant. The resolution or ordinance shall be published at least one week before adoption, as a class 1 notice, under ch. 985. The resolution or ordinance may be adopted only at a regular meeting and by a majority of all the members of the governing body.

(2) The preliminary agreement shall fix the price of sale or lease, and provide that if the amount fixed by the department of transportation or public service commission is greater, the price shall be that fixed by the department or commission.

(3) The municipality shall submit the preliminary agreement when executed to the department of transportation or public service commission, which shall determine whether the interests of the municipality and its residents will be best served by the sale or lease, and if it so determines, shall fix the price and other terms.

(4) After the price and other terms are fixed under sub. (3), the proposal shall be submitted to the electors of the municipality. The notice of the referendum shall include a description of the plant and a summary of the preliminary agreement and of the price and terms as fixed by the department of transportation or public service commission. If a majority voting on the question votes for the sale or lease, the board or council may consummate the sale or lease, upon the terms and at a price not less than fixed by the department of transportation or public service commission, with the proposed purchaser or lessee or any other with whom better terms approved by the department of transportation or public service commission can be made.

(5) Unless the sale or lease is consummated within one year of the referendum, or the time is extended by the department of transportation or public service commission, the proceedings are void.

(6) If the municipality has revenue or mortgage bonds outstanding relating to the utility plant and which by their terms may not be redeemed concurrently with the sale or lease transaction, an escrow fund with a domestic bank as trustee may be established for the purpose of holding, administering and distributing that portion of the sales or lease proceeds necessary to cover the payment of the principal, any redemption premium and interest which will accrue on the principal through the earliest retirement date of the bonds. During the period of the escrow arrangement the funds may be invested in securities or other investments as described in s. 66.0603 (1m).

(7) For the purpose of this section, the department of transportation has jurisdiction over transportation systems and the public service commission has jurisdiction over public utilities as defined in s. 196.01.

History: 1971 c. 260; 1977 c. 29 ss. 712, 1654 (9) (g); 1981 c. 347 ss. 14, 80 (2); 1981 c. 390 s. 252; 1983 a. 207 s. 93 (1); 1993 a. 16; 1999 a. 150 s. 190; Stats. 1999 s. 66.0817; 1999 a. 186 s. 48.