Deep Dive into New Housing Development Changes

Housing has been a hot topic in the State Capitol as Wisconsin’s housing availability and affordability crisis continues in communities of all sizes throughout the state. Hearing from members about a desire to continue their work to partner with developers to address municipality specific housing demands, the League Board of Directors approved housing as one of the five pillars in our 2025-2026 Legislative Agenda.

Dozens of bills related to housing were introduced in the 2025-2026 Legislative Session, many of which focused on promoting “missing middle” housing for the workforce and seniors. While not every bill introduced will make it through the legislative process, many of these bills did, resulting in ten new laws, eight of which were supported by the League, that impact residential development.

The League has summarized these ten new laws ranging from incentive programs and financing qualification changes to municipal process revisions in the Deep Dive linked below. 

🎥 Make Your Municipality a Film-Friendly Community

Based on comments received by members, the League advocated for the creation of a state film office and film production tax credits in the 2025-2027 State Budget. At the time, Wisconsin was one of only five states without a film office and one of ten states without film tax credits. Members understood, based on their past experiences and stories from peer communities, that a film’s production in your community not only brings direct economic benefits, but lasting economic impact from the increased tourism that exposure brings. The final budget provided authorization and funding both for the office and tax credits, setting the stage for more TV shows and movies to feature Wisconsin scenery and locations.

However, bringing productions to Wisconsin does not happen overnight. Production companies have many locations to choose from, and while Wisconsin has a lot to offer, it is important to showcase those offerings. Veronica Pope, the Director of Film Wisconsin, the state’s film office, recently shared these five tips towards making your community a film-friendly destination. 

• Designate a Local Film Point Person - Identify a single, reliable contact within your community who can respond quickly to inquiries, coordinate logistics and serve as a liaison with Film Wisconsin. Speed and clarity matter to productions.

• Build a Locations Library - Start curating high-quality photos and basic details of unique locations. These could include downtown streets, historic buildings, parks, waterfronts, farms, spooky houses, beautiful gardens and hidden gems. You don’t need perfection or a brand-new database (Film Wisconsin is building one), just taking inventory of what you have is a good starting point. 

• Streamline or Clarify Permitting - If permits are required in your municipality, county or nearby state park, make the process simple and easy to navigate. If you don’t require permits, it’s good to identify someone who is willing to sign off on releases, so producers know they have permission to film in the area.  

• Engage Local Businesses - Hotels, restaurants and local vendors are essential partners. Encourage them to be production-friendly by offering flexible hours, group accommodation, media rates and a willingness to collaborate.

• Be Open and Flexible - Above all, a flexible and friendly approach makes a difference. Productions remember communities that are welcoming, solution-oriented and excited to collaborate. 

To learn more about Film Wisconsin and how they are promoting Wisconsin to film production companies and to subscribe to receive email updates from the office, visit the Wisconsin Department of Tourism’s website. 

Joint Finance Committee (JFC) Action Advances New Programs from the Budget

Once a state budget is signed into law, new programs are created and appropriations are provided, but state agencies often need to take action to stand up these new programs. Some of the funding provided in the 2025-2027 State Budget that is of interest to municipalities has been awaiting agency action to detail new programs before the appropriated funding is released and the programs can become operational. On Tuesday, May 12th, JFC held a 13.10 meeting to vote on agencies’ proposed plans for some of the funding set aside in the budget.

This includes the Higher Educational Aids Board’s (HEAB) request to stand up the $3.5 million EMS training and materials reimbursement program. This program, funded by the 2025-2027 State Budget and enacted by 2025 Wisconsin Act 35, allows employers or individuals to apply for reimbursement for the costs of education to be initially certified as an EMS practitioner. JFC chose alternative three in the Legislative Fiscal Bureau’s (LFB) memo detailing this request, releasing the funding and providing HEAB with the ability to make this program available.

The budget and Act 35 also provided $100,000 for a Live 9-1-1 Pilot Program where the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) would test this service with selected public safety answering points (PSAPs). Live 9-1-1 allows those calling for emergency services to connect with the PSAP via audiovisual communications (like FaceTime) to ensure the PSAP may dispatch the appropriate level of response from police, fire, and EMS. JFC chose alternative one in LFB’s memo, releasing the funding and allowing DMA to advance this pilot.

Finally, JFC also acted on a request from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) for the Protective Services Hearing Protection Program. Enacted in 2025 Wisconsin Act 14 and funded with $2.6 million in the 2025-2027 State Budget, a statewide contract will supply reusable hearing protection devices to each law enforcement agency or fire department. These free devices will equal 20% of the total number of officers or firefighters or 10 devices, whichever is fewer. JFC chose alternative one in LFB’s memo, releasing the funding and allowing WisDOT to work on releasing a request for proposals for the statewide contract.

The League will continue to monitor and, as needed, engage in the creation of these programs. We will provide additional updates in future Legislative Bulletins once this funding is available for applications and other relevant programs created by the 2025-2027 State Budget move towards implementation. 

Agency Actions

MOE Reporting Deadline is Approaching

2025 Maintenance of Effort (MOE) reporting deadlines are quickly approaching. By Monday, June 15th, persons in charge of fire, EMS, and some police departments are required to fill out a certification form and submit it to the municipal clerk. These forms will certify whether that the department maintained levels of public safety services that are at least equivalent to the service provided in the previous year based on certain metrics. The clerk must then compile that information and submit the municipality’s MOE Report by Wednesday, July 1st.

As mentioned in the April 7th edition of the Legislative Bulletin, the MOE forms are available on the Department of Revenue's (DOR) website. That link also provides access to common questions and webinar recordings for additional assistance. Failure to maintain an appropriate level of service or failure to submit the report by the deadline will result in a penalty of a 15% reduction in Shared Revenue payments in the following year. To avoid these penalties, please be certain to get your municipality’s forms completed and submitted on time!

Lead Service Line Webinar on Wednesday

This Wednesday, June 3rd from 12pm to 1pm, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) will host a webinar on their lead service line (LSL) Funding Assistance Program (FAP). Created in 2018, this program allows water utility resources to be utilized for private-side LSL replacements under certain conditions. This webinar will focus on a recent PSC decision impacting rate recovery for FAPs, describing how program implementation may be impacted and outlining ways this decision influences future FAP considerations.

Webinar registrants may watch live, but if you have a conflict, registration ensures you will receive the webinar recording and presentation materials in your email box following the event. A link to register may be found here.

DOR Tax Bulletin Highlights Law Changes

DOR publishes the Wisconsin Tax Bulletin to regularly share the recent tax policy changes with readers. The latest edition, #233, highlights several new law changes that may impact community and economic development in municipalities of all sizes across the state. This includes legislation the League supported on the:

• Low-Income Housing Tax Credit,
• Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit,
• Rail Infrastructure Modernization and Maintenance Tax Credit,
• Film Production Tax Credits, and
• Employer-Provided Child Care Tax Credit.

To learn more about these law changes and other tax credit developments from the 2025-2026 Legislative Session, visit DOR’s website to read Wisconsin Tax Bulletin #233. 

Broadband Expansion Grant Program Open

The PSC recently opened the Broadband Expansion Grant (BBEG) Program for applications. Approximately $60 million is available with no match required for eligible applicants that provide a clear and achievable plan to improve broadband communications services in one or more unserved areas in the state. Municipalities are eligible applicants if the application is submitted in partnership with a telecommunications utility or other private organization.

Applications are due by Monday, July 27th. Information on the BBEG may be found on the PSC’s website. The link also provides registration details for a webinar the PSC will host on the BBEG on Monday, June 8th from 11am to 12pm.

Traffic Control Device Manual Webinars

In the May 4th edition of the Legislative Bulletin, we noted WisDOT’s recent publication of the 11th edition of the Wisconsin Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways (WMUTCD). We also provided details on a webinar series held in May to detail major changes to the Manual. Links to recordings of these webinars along with the presentations may be found on WisDOT’s website. 

Statements of Assessments and Taxes Posted

DOR has posted two final reports to its website that may be of interest to municipal officials. This includes the 2025 Statement of Assessment Line Summaries and the 2025 Final Statement of Taxes. Both reports and other reports published by DOR may be found on online. 

Federal Forecast

BRIC Grant Program Accepting Applications

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced that $1 billion is available in the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Program. The funding will support large-scale infrastructure projects that reduce disaster risk and strengthen community resilience, with an emphasis on projects ready for implementation. Municipalities are eligible for a $757 million set-aside for a national competition to fund the most impactful projects.

Applications are due by Thursday, July 23rd. More information on the BRIC Grant Program may be found on FEMA’s website. FEMA has also prepared a four-page fact sheet on this year’s funding opportunity which may be found here.