Wisconsin Statutes 30.277 – Urban rivers grant program
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Terms Used In Wisconsin Statutes 30.277
- Acquire: when used in connection with a grant of power to any person, includes the acquisition by purchase, grant, gift or bequest. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
- Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
- Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
- Following: when used by way of reference to any statute section, means the section next following that in which the reference is made. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Land: includes lands, tenements and hereditaments and all rights thereto and interests therein. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
- Population: means that shown by the most recent regular or special federal census. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
- Promulgate: when used in connection with a rule, as defined under…. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
- State: when applied to states of the United States, includes the District of Columbia, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the several territories organized by Congress. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
- Town: may be construed to include cities, villages, wards or districts. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
- Village: means incorporated village. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
- Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed; "year" alone means "year of our Lord". See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
(1b) Definition. In this section:
(a) “Governmental unit” means a city, village, town, county or the Kickapoo reserve management board.
(b) “Nature-based outdoor recreation” has the meaning given by the department by rule under s. 23.0917 (4) (f).
(1m) Funding. Beginning in fiscal year 1992-93, from the appropriation under s. 20.866 (2) (tz), the department shall award grants to governmental units to assist them in projects on or adjacent to rivers that flow through urban areas. The department may award these grants from the appropriation under s. 20.866 (2) (ta) beginning on July 1, 2000.
(2) Purposes of grants.
(a) Grants awarded under this section from the appropriation under s. 20.866 (2) (tz) shall be used for projects that emphasize the preservation or restoration of urban rivers or riverfronts for the purposes of economic revitalization and encouraging outdoor recreation activities that involve the enjoyment of the state‘s natural resources. These outdoor recreation activities include, but are not limited to fishing, wildlife observation, enjoyment of scenic beauty, canoeing, boating, hiking and bicycling.
(b) A grant awarded to a governmental unit under this section may be used to acquire land and may be used for a shoreline enhancement project. For purposes of this paragraph, “land” includes rights in land.
(c) Grants awarded under this section from the appropriation under s. 20.866 (2) (ta) shall only be used for nature-based outdoor recreation.
(3) Criteria for grants. The department shall consider all of the following criteria in awarding grants for projects under this section:
(a) The extent to which diverse outdoor recreational opportunities will be made available to all segments of the population.
(b) The extent of preservation or restoration, under the project, of an urban riverfront.
(c) The aesthetic value of the project.
(d) The project’s potential for increasing tourism.
(e) Whether significant planning has occurred in the area subject to the jurisdiction of the governmental unit prior to its request for a grant under this section.
(f) The level of support for the project demonstrated by the governmental unit, including financial support.
(g) Whether the project involves a joint effort by 2 or more governmental units.
(h) The potential benefits of the project to the overall economy of the area subject to the jurisdiction of the governmental unit.
(i) The extent to which the project preserves or highlights an area with significant historical or cultural value.
(j) The extent to which access by the public to the riverfront will be improved.
(k) Whether the project is related to brownfields redevelopment, as defined in s. 23.09 (19) (a) 1.
(4) Cap on grants. No governmental unit may receive in any fiscal year more than 20 percent of the funds that are available for grants under this section.
(4m) Grants for Kickapoo. The department may not award a grant under this section from the appropriation under s. 20.866 (2) (tz) to the Kickapoo reserve management board.
(5) Matching contributions. Except as provided in s. 23.096 (2m), to be eligible for a grant under this section, at least 50 percent of the acquisition costs for land or of the project costs shall be funded by private, local or federal funding, by in-kind contributions or by state funding. For purposes of this subsection, state funding may not include grants under this section, moneys appropriated to the department under s. 20.370 or money appropriated under s. 20.866 (2) (ta), (tp) to (tw), (ty) or (tz).
(6) Rules. The department shall promulgate rules for the administration of this section, including rules that specify the weight to be assigned to each criterion under sub. (3) and the minimum number of criteria under sub. (3) in which an applicant must perform satisfactorily in order to be awarded a grant. In specifying the weight to be assigned to the criteria under sub. (3), the department shall assign the greatest weight to the criterion under sub. (3) (k). The department shall promulgate a rule specifying the types of projects that qualify as a shoreline enhancement project under this section.