The City of Delafield Board of Review on May 29 upheld the assessor’s open-book adjusted valuation of 20 Crossroads Court (tax key DELC0803006), rejecting an owner’s petition to lower the 2025 assessment to $1.3 million.

Owner Darlene Osgood (dk Hinkle Investments LLC) told the board she had two appraisals: a Jan. 24, 2024 appraisal at $1,015,000 and a more recent May 13, 2025 appraisal by Commercial Property Consultants at $1,300,000. Osgood said she paid $2,000 for the May appraisal and provided a printed copy to the assessor; she asked the board to set the opinion of market value at $1,300,000.

Assessor Cal Magnan presented the city’s valuation process: a market-based cost approach that produced an initial assessment followed by an open-book adjustment of $83,700 that reduced the owner’s increase to about 28% (citywide average increase was about 40%). Magnan reminded the board that statutory assessment practice measures value as of Jan. 1, 2025 and that he cannot consider sales occurring after that date when setting the assessment. He said the appraisal submitted to the assessor was received after Jan. 1, 2025 but acknowledged an assessor may review owner-supplied appraisals and documentation.

Board members questioned the appraisal’s timing, comparability and the absence of the appraiser for cross-examination. One member noted the appraisal covered a broad Milwaukee-area market and that locality differences can affect value; board members also observed the assessor had already applied depreciation and a lower increase to this property compared with city averages.

After deliberation, the board adopted a motion exercising its judgment under Wis. Stat. §70.47(9)(a) to sustain the assessor’s adjusted valuation of $1,420,600 (land $713,900; improvements $706,700). The roll call vote in favor: Mayor Tim Eicher; Alderperson Grimmer; Ken Beckman; Craig Hines; Tom Wolfenberger; and Steven Laughlin.

The board noted the owner had the right to appeal and received the determination form and instructions. The board’s decision was grounded on the assessor’s evidence, the statutory valuation date of Jan. 1, 2025, and the absence of the appraiser to testify at the hearing.