County public works notice and competitive bidding thresholds, the official text

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.

An Act to renumber and amend 59.52 (29) (a); to create 59.52 (29) (c) 2., 59.52 (29) (c) 3. and 59.52 (29) (e) of the statutes; relating to: county public 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:

Section 1. 59.52 (29) (a) of the statutes is renumbered 59.52 (29) (a) 1. and amended to read:
59.52 (29) (a) 1. All public work, including any contract for the construction, repair, remodeling, or improvement of any public work, building, or furnishing of supplies or material of any kind where the estimated cost of such work will exceed $25,000 the bidding threshold under par. (e) 1. a. shall be let by contract to the lowest responsible bidder.
3. Any public work, the estimated cost of which does not exceed $25,000 the bidding threshold under par. (e) 1. a., shall be let as the board may direct.
4. If the estimated cost of any public work is between $5,000 the notice threshold under par. (e) 1. b. and $25,000 the bidding threshold under par. (e) 1. a., the board shall give a class 1 notice under ch. 985 before it contracts for the work or shall contract with a person qualified as a bidder under s. 66.0901 (2).
2. A contract, the estimated cost of which exceeds $25,000 the bidding threshold under par. (e) 1. a., shall be let and entered into under s. 66.0901, except that the board may by a three-fourths vote of all the members entitled to a seat provide that any class of public work or any part thereof may be done directly by the county without submitting the same for bids.
(c) 1. This subsection does not apply to public construction if the materials for such a the project are donated or if the labor for such a the project is provided by volunteers.
(d) This subsection does not apply to highway contracts which the county
highway committee or the county highway commissioner is authorized by law to let or make, which shall be let or made under s. 83.04.
Section 2. 59.52 (29) (c) 2. of the statutes is created to read:
59.52 (29) (c) 2. This subsection does not apply to the construction by a private person of an improvement that is donated to the county after the completion of construction.
Section 3. 59.52 (29) (c) 3. of the statutes is created to read:
59.52 (29) (c) 3. This subsection does not apply to public work for the purpose of providing housing for persons placed on supervised release under s. 980.08.
Section 4. 59.52 (29) (e) of the statutes is created to read:
59.52 (29) (e) 1. Beginning on the effective date of this subdivision .... [LRB inserts date}, the thresholds under par. (a) are the following:
a. For general public works contract bidding, $50,000.
b. For general public works contract notice, $10,000.
2. On the 5th year commencing after the effective date of this subdivision .... [LRB inserts date], and each subsequent 5th year, the thresholds under subd. 1. shall be increased by a percentage equal to the percentage change in the U.S. consumer price index for the previous 5 years, as determined by the federal department of labor, rounded to the nearest multiple of $1,000.
Section 5. Initial applicability.
(1) This act first applies to bids solicited on the effective date of this subsection.
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