Section 66.0925. County-city safety building.

 

(1)   Definitions. In this section:

(a) “Board" means the joint county-city safety building board established under this section.

(b) “Ordinance" means an ordinance adopted by the governing body of a city or county and concurred in by the other governing body.

(2)   County-city safety building. Any county and city partly or wholly within the county may by ordinance jointly construct or otherwise acquire, equip, furnish, operate and maintain a county-city safety building.

(3)   Financing. The governing bodies of the respective county and city may borrow money, appropriate funds, and levy taxes needed to carry out the purposes of this section. Funds to be used for the purposes specified in this section may be provided by the respective county or city by general obligation bonds issued under ch. 67 or by revenue bonds issued under s. 66.0913 or by the issuance of both general obligation bonds under ch. 67 and revenue bonds issued under s. 66.0913 . Bonds issued under this section shall be executed on behalf of the county by the county board chairperson and the county clerk and on behalf of a city by its mayor or other chief executive officer and by the city clerk.

(4)   Cost sharing. The ordinance shall provide for a sharing of all of the cost of construction or other acquisition, equipment, furnishing, operation and maintenance of a safety building on an agreed percentage basis.

(5)   Safety building board. The ordinance shall provide for the establishment of a joint county-city safety building board to be composed of 3 members to be appointed by the county board, one for a one-year, one for a 2-year and one for a 3-year term; 3 members to be appointed by the city council, one for a one-year, one for a 2-year and one for a 3-year term; and one additional member appointed by the other members for a 3-year term. The membership of the board shall include the chairperson of the county board and the mayor of the city, who shall be initially designated as members for the 3-year terms. Their respective successors shall be appointed and confirmed in like manner for terms of 3 years. All appointees shall serve until their successors are appointed and qualified. Terms shall begin as specified in the ordinance. If a member of the board ceases to hold a city or county office, membership on the board also terminates. Vacancies shall be filled for the unexpired term in the manner in which the original appointment was made. Members of the board shall be officials of the county or city.

(6)   Organization of boards; officers; compensation; oaths; bonds.

(a) When all members have qualified the board shall meet at the place designated in the ordinance and organize by electing from its membership a president, a vice president, a secretary and a treasurer, each to hold office for one year. The board may combine the offices of secretary and treasurer. Members may receive compensation as provided in the ordinance and shall be reimbursed their actual and necessary expenses for their services. The board may appoint an assistant secretary and assistant treasurer, who need not be members of the board, to perform services specified by the board.

(b) Members, and any assistant secretary and assistant treasurer, shall qualify by taking the official oath, and the treasurer and any assistant treasurer shall furnish a bond in a sum specified by the board and in the form and conditioned as provided in s. 19.01 (2) and (3) . The oaths and bonds shall be filed with the county clerk. The cost of the bond shall be paid by the board.

(7)   Powers of board. The board may, subject to provisions of the ordinance:

(a) Contract for the construction or other acquisition, equipping or furnishing of a county-city safety building; accept and use donated services and gifts, grants or donations of money or property for the purposes given and consistent with this section; and contract for and authorize the installation of equipment and furnishings in all or part of the safety building by private individuals, persons or corporations by donations, loan, lease or concession.

(b) Contract for the construction or other acquisition of additions or improvements to, or alterations in, a safety building and the equipment or furnishing of all or part of the addition; and contract for or authorize the installation of equipment and furnishings in all or part of the addition by private individuals, persons or corporations by donation, loan or concession.

(c) Employ a superintendent of a safety building and other necessary personnel and fix their compensation.

(d) Enact, amend and repeal rules and regulations, not inconsistent with law, for the regulation of the board's meetings and deliberations, and for the government, operation and maintenance of a safety building and the safety building's employees.

(e) Contract for, purchase or hire all fuel, equipment, furnishings, and supplies, services and help reasonably necessary for the proper operation and maintenance of a safety building.

(f) Audit all accounts and claims against a safety building or against a board, and, if approved, pay the accounts or claims from the fund specified in sub. (9) . All expenditures made pursuant to this section shall be within the limits of the ordinance.

(g) Sue and be sued, and collect or compromise any obligations due to a safety building. All money received shall be paid into the joint safety building fund.

(h) Make studies and recommendations to the county board and city council relating to the operation of a safety building as the board considers advisable or the governing bodies request.

(i) Employ counsel on either a temporary or permanent basis.

(8)   Budget. The board shall annually, before the time of the preparation of either the county or city budget under s. 65.90 , prepare a budget of its anticipated receipts and expenditures for the ensuing fiscal year and determine the proportionate cost to the county and the city pursuant to the terms of the ordinance. A certified copy of the budget, which shall include a statement of the net amount required from the county and city, shall be delivered to the clerks of the respective municipalities. The county board and the common council of the city shall consider the budget, and determine the amount to be raised by the respective municipalities in the proportions determined by the ordinance. After this determination, the county and city respectively shall levy a tax sufficient to produce the amount to be raised by the county and city.

(9)   Safety building fund. A joint county-city safety building fund shall be created and established in a public depository to be specified in the ordinance. The treasurer of the respective county and city shall pay into the fund the amounts specified by the ordinance and resolutions of the respective municipalities when the amounts have been collected. All of the moneys which come into the fund are appropriated to the board for the execution of its functions as provided by the ordinance and the resolutions of the respective municipalities. The moneys in the fund shall be paid out by the treasurer of the safety building board only upon the approval or direction of the board.

(10)   Correlation of laws. In any case where a bid is a prerequisite to contract in connection with a county or city safety building under s. 66.0901 , it is also a prerequisite to a valid contract by the board. For this purpose the board is a municipality and the contract a public contract under s. 66.0901 .

(11)   Reports. The board shall report its activities to the county board and the city council annually, or oftener as either of the municipalities may require.

(13)   Insurance. The board may procure and enter contracts for any type of insurance and indemnity against loss or damage to property from any cause, including loss of use and occupancy, against death or injury of any person, against employers' liability, against any act of any member, officer or employee of the board in the performance of his or her duties, or any other insurable risk.

(14)   Construction. Nothing in this section shall be construed as relieving, modifying, or interfering with the responsibilities for operating jails which are vested in sheriffs under s. 59.27 (1) and chiefs of police or chiefs of combined protective services departments under s. 62.09 (13) (b) .

1983 a. 189 ; 1983 a. 192 ss. 151 , 303 (1) ; 1991 a. 316 ; 1995 a. 201 ; 1999 a. 150 s. 491 ; Stats. 1999 s. 66.0925; 2011 a. 32 .