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County reviews appraisals and tax implications for possible West Street highway shop purchase
Summary
Committee members heard updates about appraisals, taxable valuation scenarios, environmental checks and satellite shop needs as county staff weigh buying land and redeveloping the West Street site under or instead of the Westside Master Plan.
Jim, a highway department staff member, said the county has received an appraisal request and is awaiting a full appraisal from Noah Phillips that will list valuations for the current site with and without improvements and a taxable valuation if the site were redeveloped for high‑density housing.
Why it matters: the county is weighing whether to keep highway maintenance at the existing West Street footprint, build a new facility elsewhere, or redeploy the West Street parcels to a taxable use that could generate ongoing property tax revenue.
County staff said the appraisal will break out values for parcels and include an estimate of taxable value if the land were redeveloped. County administration told the committee a portion of the parcels under discussion are currently nontaxable (government or nonprofit ownership), and staff will provide projected taxable value for the currently taxable parcels at the March presentation. Administration said the county generally receives about 18–20 percent of a parcel’s tax bill in the city of Wausau, so redevelopment could change ongoing revenue to the county.
On environmental checks, highway staff said no recent, full environmental study has been performed for the entire site; an earlier contamination issue tied to a 1992 addition was remediated at that time and a cold‑storage parcel had prior review. Staff said a full investigation would still be required if the county pursues sale or redevelopment.
Committee members asked about satellite highway shops and long‑term facility needs. Jim said Marathon County operates five shops total (the main Wausau shop plus four satellite shops: Stratford, Hatley, Abbotsford and Mosinee). He said the Mosinee shop is a pressing need tied to airport operations and could require closure or replacement if the county relocates. An engineering projection discussed with the committee estimated roughly a $5,000,000 investment for a four‑bay shop including salt and materials storage, fuel islands and a scale; staff characterized that as an approximate, preliminary figure.
Staff also described planned outreach: a site visit to the Eau Claire highway facility was scheduled for February 17 to compare modern shop operations, and the county will present appraisal and taxable‑value estimates to the board and HR/Finance committees in March. Several supervisors stressed that the Westside Master Plan is a vision and can be amended if the board chooses to pursue housing or other uses on that property.
Ending: staff said they will bring appraisal numbers, taxable‑value estimates and further cost comparisons to the committee and to HR/Finance in advance of a March board presentation.
