Lee Pulaski, lpulaski@wolfrivermedia.com
Gov. Scott Walker’s 2015-17 biennial budget proposal includes a measure that would transition property tax assessments from a municipal system to a county system.
This proposal has some Shawano County officials worried, and an announcement was made during this week’s County Board meeting that the county planned to fight it.
The changes would begin in 2016 if passed by state legislators, and full implementation would take effect in 2017.
Administrative Coordinator Brent Miller said he intends to present a resolution to the Finance Committee in March that would oppose Walker’s proposal. He said the change would be a burden, financially and in man hours, for the county.
Miller said the county would be required to establish an assessment department and create an administrative position.
Counties would be permitted to charge a municipality 95 percent of what the municipality paid for assessment services in 2015, but the county would be on the hook for the rest.
“It could cost us significant money in future years,” Miller said, although he did not know how much money. “The Wisconsin Counties Association is opposed to this.”
Local boards of review would go away, and one board at the county level would hear appeals from property owners.
Miller noted the county does not have experience in the assessment process.
“This is a bad idea for the counties,” he said. “Instead of the individual towns handling appeals to request what their property is assessed at, you’d have it at one central location. If you don’t think that would upset somebody having to come appeal here versus the town of Aniwa or Mattoon, that’s just going to add to the fire.”
Counties have the option of pooling their resources in assessment regions under Walker’s proposal, similar to what counties do with aging and disability funds and revolving loan funds.
Supervisor Arlyn Tober spoke against the measure as well, noting that the proposed budget would keep state-shared revenue with counties flat in 2016 but reduce it in 2017.
“All your local assessors will be dumped, and the county will do the assessing,” Tober added. “It’s going to cost a lot more than what we’re doing now with the local townships having their own assessors.”