Keep in mind that your evidence must be strong enough to prove that the assessor's value is incorrect. STATING THAT PROPERTY TAXES ARE TOO HIGH IS NOT RELEVANT TESTIMONY. You should establish in your own mind what you think your property is worth.

The best evidence for this would be a recent sale price of your property. The next best evidence would be recent sales prices of properties that are similar to yours. The closer in proximity and similarity, the better the evidence. Another type of evidence is oral testimony from a witness who has made a recent appraisal of your property.

The basic function of the Board is to listen to evidence presented by both the property owner and assessor and then determine if the assessed value of the property is correct. Each municipality sets a Board of Review date depending on when assessments are complete. A notice is posted and published.

If there are not many appeals, the Board will usually complete its business during their first session. Once the Board has heard all appeals and adjourned, no further assessment objections can be considered until the following year. When you receive your tax statement in December, it is too late to file an objection for the current assessment. Paying your taxes under protest does not constitute a formal assessment objection.

Wisconsin law requires that property assessments be based on fair market value. Estimating the market value of your property is a matter of determining the price that a typical buyer would pay for the property in its present condition. Some factors the assessor considers are:

• what similar properties are selling for
• what it would cost to replace your property
• what rent it may earn

It is important to remember that the assessor does not create this value, but rather interprets what is happening in the real estate market.

Just as in many other fields, computers are also useful in the assessment process. Assessors are trained to look for associations or relationships between property characteristics and market value. By analyzing these characteristics, and studying sales prices, assessors can begin to predict or estimate value by developing formulas and models.

Computers are much faster and are capable of advanced analysis in this area. But despite these capabilities, common sense and assessor judgment are always required to verify our assessments. We ask the assessors most familiar with the neighborhoods and properties to review all computer generated values.

Generally speaking, improvements that increase the market value of a property will increase the assessed value. The following are typical items that will increase the assessed value of your property:

• Added rooms, garages, porches or decks
• Aluminum or vinyl siding
• Substantial modernization of kitchens or baths
• Central air conditioning
• Fireplaces
• Extensive remodeling
• Swimming pool
• Basement finish (family room, den, etc)

There are differences between individual properties and between neighborhoods. In one area the sales may indicate a substantial increase in value in a given year. In another neighborhood there may be no change in value, or even a decrease in property values.

Different types of properties within the same neighborhood may also show different value changes. For example, one-story houses may be more in demand than two-story houses, or older homes in the same area may be rising in value more slowly than newer homes.

There are numerous factors to be considered in each property which will cause the values to differ. Some of the factors which can affect value are location, age, condition, size, quality, number of baths, basement finish, and garages.

Wisconsin law requires that whenever an assessment is changed, the owner must be notified. Assessment notices are mailed 15 days prior to the Board of Review.

When an interior inspection is not allowed, the assessor will attempt to update our records by looking at the property from the outside and using any other available information.

To ensure an accurate assessment, it is to your advantage to allow the assessor inside your property when an inspection is requested. By denying an inspection, you may lose the right to appeal your assessment to the Board of Review.

Good maintenance will help retain the market value of your property. Generally, your assessment will not be increased for individual minor repairs such as those that follow:

• Repairing concrete walks and drives
• Replacing gutters and down spouts
• Replacing hot water heater
• Repairing or replacing roof
• Repairing porches and steps
• Repairing original siding
• Patching or repairing interior walls/ceilings
• Exterior painting
• Exterior awnings and shutters
• Replacing electrical fixtures
• Replacing furnace
• Weather stripping, screens, storm windows and doors
• Exterior landscaping including lawns, shrubbery, trees, flowers

Though the value of your property affects your share of taxes, the actual amount you pay is determined by the budget needs of the schools, city, county, technical college, and state reforestation. All of these taxing units decide what services they will provide in the coming year and how much money they will need to provide those services. Once this decision is made, a tax rate is adopted that will generate the needed dollars.

Market value is defined as the amount a typical, well-informed purchaser would be willing to pay for a property, the seller and buyer must be unrelated, the seller must be willing, but not under pressure to sell, and the buyer must be willing, but not under any obligation to buy. The property must be on the market for a reasonable length of time, the payment must be in cash or its equivalent, and the financing must be typical for that type of property. If all of these conditions were present, this would be a market value, arm's-length sale.

The total assessed value of all assessments in the municipality that are subject to local property taxes.

The total amount of property tax money that a taxing unit (such as the schools, city, county, etc.) needs to raise to provide services.

To make a proper assessment on a building, it is desirable for the Assessor to see the inside and the outside of the property. The law requires that property be valued from actual view or the best information available. The Assessor keeps records on the physical characteristics of each property in the municipality. Even though the Assessor may have been unable to go through your property, the assessment will still be reviewed, based on the existing records and the sales of similar properties.

Back in the early 1980's, when the legislature passed the law that this be included on all tax bills, was a time across Wisconsin when Assessors for the over 1800 municipalities were not required to assess property at market value during any time interval. As a "truth in taxation" measure, the legislature thought it was important for their constituents to know what in terms of value their assessment actually meant. Because the DOR already prepared municipal "equalized values," the legislature thought that these estimates made at the municipal level should be provided at the property level. This was an easy answer to their problem. Remember, the intent was to show whether the assessment on a property was at all accurate. It was never meant to actually be your individual property estimate. But, at least from the taxpayer's standpoint, it meant more than the assessment--at that time. For instance if the assessor was assessing property in your municipality at 10% (and you had no idea of that fact) and your tax bill showed an assessment of $10,000 you might think "boy am I getting a good deal--I know my house is worth at least $60,000." However, if you realized that the $10,000 actually equated to approximately $100,000; you might not be so happy. (Since 1986, after this was enacted, the legislature tightened the law and we now are required to assess within 10% of market value at least once in every four year period.)

The reason DOR equates all municipalities to an estimate of fair market value (actually equalized value) each year is to ensure the uniform distribution of shared taxes across municipalities. The assessor, on the other hand, assesses each property to make sure that each property pays their fair share of tax on an individual level. The estimated fair market value on the tax bill is a less reliable estimate than that prepared by the assessor. The DOR has never inspected any property in the County of Marathon. It is only to be used as a tool to check your assessment.

State law requires assessor's be within 10% (higher or lower) of the state's equalized value ratio at least once in every 4 year period. Marathon County is not, nor ever has been, out of compliance with this requirement. The Department of Revenue allows this leeway because appraisal is not an exact science, and to allow for the different standards used by them versus a municipality.

The relationship between the assessed value and equalized value of all taxable property within a municipality. For example, if the assessed value of all the taxable property in the County is $13,900,000,000 and the equalized value is $14,000,000,000 the assessment level would be 98.6%. Assessment Ratio = Assessed Value / Equalized Value.

No, it is not. If the total levy remains the same, only those properties which are not presently paying their fair share will pay more taxes after a revaluation. Properties presently paying more than their fair share will pay less.

Wisconsin Law requires market value assessment of all property. The County has no authority, each municipality does have authority to contract with the assessor.

For property tax purposes, "real property" refers to land and buildings and the rights associated with ownership, while "personal property" is the furniture and equipment owned or used by businesses.

No. If we used the "estimated fair market value" the taxes would not change. This is due to the fact that in order to meet the various budgets with a 1% lower tax base would require the rate to be increased by 1%; therefore, no tax change.