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AB459: Bill Text
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2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
LRB-3665/1
EVM:emw
2025 ASSEMBLY BILL 459
September 26, 2025 - Introduced by Representatives
O'Connor
and
Novak
, cosponsored by Senator
Tomczyk
. Referred to Committee on Local Government.
AB459,1,3
1
An Act
to renumber and amend
59.52 (29) (a);
to create
59.52 (29) (c) 2.,
2
59.52 (29) (c) 3. and 59.52 (29) (e) of the statutes;
relating to:
county public
3
works notice and competitive bidding thresholds.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Under current law, if the estimated cost of a county public works project is between $5,000 and $25,000, the county must generally provide a notice before it contracts. If the estimated cost exceeds $25,000, a county must solicit bids and award the contract to the lowest responsible bidder.
This bill increases the notice threshold to $10,000 and the bidding threshold to $50,000 and adjusts these amounts quinquennially for inflation. The bill also provides exceptions to these bidding requirements for 1) public work for the purpose of providing housing for persons placed on supervised release as sexually violent persons and 2) improvements that are constructed by a private person and donated to a county after the completion of construction. With regard to the latter, a similar exception for donated improvements currently exists for improvements donated to a city or village.
For further information see the local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
AB459,1
1
Section
1
.
59.52 (29) (a) of the statutes is renumbered 59.52 (29) (a) 1. and
2
amended to read:
AB459,2,7
3
59.52
(29)
(a) 1. All public work, including any contract for the construction,
4
repair, remodeling
,
or improvement of any public work, building, or furnishing of
5
supplies or material of any kind where the estimated cost of such work will exceed
6
$25,000
the bidding threshold under par. (e) 1. a.
shall be let by contract to the
7
lowest responsible bidder.
AB459,2,9
8
3.
Any public work, the estimated cost of which does not exceed
$25,000
the
9
bidding threshold under par. (e) 1. a.
, shall be let as the board may direct.
AB459,2,13
10
4.
If the estimated cost of any public work is between
$5,000
the notice
11
threshold under par. (e) 1. b.
and
$25,000
the bidding threshold under par. (e) 1. a.
,
12
the board shall give a class 1 notice under ch. 985 before it contracts for the work or
13
shall contract with a person qualified as a bidder under s. 66.0901 (2).
AB459,2,18
14
2.
A contract, the estimated cost of which exceeds
$25,000
the bidding
15
threshold under par. (e) 1. a.
, shall be let and entered into under s. 66.0901, except
16
that the board may by a three-fourths vote of all the members entitled to a seat
17
provide that any class of public work or any part thereof may be done directly by the
18
county without submitting the same for bids.
AB459,2,21
19
(c) 1.
This subsection does not apply to public construction if the materials for
20
such a
the
project are donated or if the labor for
such a
the
project is provided by
21
volunteers.
AB459,3,2
22
(d)
This subsection does not apply to highway contracts which the county
1
highway committee or the county highway commissioner is authorized by law to let
2
or make
, which shall be let or made under s. 83.04
.
AB459,2
3
Section
2
.
59.52 (29) (c) 2. of the statutes is created to read:
AB459,3,6
4
59.52
(29)
(c) 2. This subsection does not apply to the construction by a private
5
person of an improvement that is donated to the county after the completion of
6
construction.
AB459,3
7
Section
3
.
59.52 (29) (c) 3. of the statutes is created to read:
AB459,3,9
8
59.52
(29)
(c) 3. This subsection does not apply to public work for the purpose
9
of providing housing for persons placed on supervised release under s. 980.08.
AB459,4
10
Section
4
.
59.52 (29) (e) of the statutes is created to read:
AB459,3,12
11
59.52
(29)
(e) 1. Beginning on the effective date of this subdivision .... [LRB
12
inserts date}, the thresholds under par. (a) are the following:
AB459,3,13
13
a. For general public works contract bidding, $50,000.
AB459,3,14
14
b. For general public works contract notice, $10,000.
AB459,3,19
15
2. On the 5th year commencing after the effective date of this subdivision ....
16
[LRB inserts date], and each subsequent 5th year, the thresholds under subd. 1.
17
shall be increased by a percentage equal to the percentage change in the U.S.
18
consumer price index for the previous 5 years, as determined by the federal
19
department of labor, rounded to the nearest multiple of $1,000.
AB459,5
20
Section
5
. Initial applicability.
AB459,3,22
21
(
1
) This act first applies to bids solicited on the effective date of this
22
subsection.
AB459,3,23
23
(end)
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