The City of Sturgeon Bay has recently been undertaking a revaluation of the assessed property values within the city. The city’s contracted assessor is doing the required analysis to set the values for tax purposes. These periodic revaluations to keep assessment levels near actual market values is required by Wisconsin law. Since the last revaluation, values have been affected by alterations in supply and demand, interest rates, style preferences, and other economic and social factors. These changes resulted in assessments which no longer represent actual market value. These changes will not have any effect on the total dollar amount of taxes collected by the city, since the city-wide tax levy cannot be increased simply due to revaluation. The purpose of the revaluation is to ensure that all property owners are paying their fair share towards the overall tax levy. Property owners will soon receive a notice of assessment by mail specifying the new assessed value for the property. There are opportunities to have the assessment reviewed or possibly adjusted. The first step is to attend an “Open Book” process where you would confer with the assessor. Appointments are required for this process and those “Open Book” days are September 30th and October 1st. If the owner is still not satisfied, a formal objection to the board of review can be requested, and the board of review is scheduled to meet on October 29th. For formal objection, you can obtain the required form from the Clerk’s Office. For more information, or to request an open book process, you can call “Associated Appraisal” at 920-749-1995.
