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Waukesha Board of Review: Two commercial assessment appeals end with withdrawals; one owner accepts $727,600 assessment
Summary
At a Waukesha City Board of Review hearing, an objector withdrew an appeal for 352 Wisconsin Ave, and the owner of 348 Wisconsin Ave accepted the assessor's adjusted 2024 valuation of $727,600 and withdrew his objection. The board reminded taxpayers that the burden of proof rests with the objector.
Waukesha City’s Board of Review heard two commercial property assessment appeals for Wisconsin Avenue properties and both matters concluded without a contested board determination.
At the start of the hearing the clerk read the cases for 352 Wisconsin Avenue (tax key 1308274) and 348 Wisconsin Avenue (tax key 1308275). The board recorded land and improvement values for the 348 Wisconsin Avenue case as land $152,300 and improvements $553,500, for a stated total assessment of $727,600.
The board’s presiding member told the objectors the legal standard: “by law, we are required to uphold the valuation given by the assessor unless you can provide testimony and evidence that the assessor's value is incorrect and that you have another value that is correct.” The board emphasized that the burden of proof is on the taxpayer to show a different value and how that value was calculated.
For the case listed at 352 Wisconsin Avenue, the objector identified during the hearing as Mr. Sealing told the board, “I'm withdrawing my objection on 352 Wisconsin.” The clerk then called the other case.
At the hearing on 348 Wisconsin Avenue, the objector who identified himself as Gary presented a per-unit comparison to a recent sale of a nearby property and discussed his valuation approach. City staff confirmed the assessor’s post–open-book assessment for 2024 as $727,600 (land $152,300; improvements $553,500). After the board explained the process and the currently recorded assessment, Gary said several times, “I'll accept this,” and then formally withdrew his objection.
No formal contested hearing, evidentiary rulings, or recorded roll-call votes on the merits were taken in either case; both matters were resolved by the objectors withdrawing their appeals (one after accepting the assessor’s adjusted figure). The board then moved to adjourn and recessed the session.
The record shows the assessor’s office made an open-book change to at least one assessment before the hearing; the board provided the taxpayer a written document reflecting the updated assessment during the meeting. The transcript does not include a citation to a specific state statute or ordinance by number; the board referred generally to the legal requirement that the assessor’s value stand absent taxpayer evidence.
The session closed with a board member noting a large upcoming caseload: “I have board tomorrow and have 51 cases now that I have to prepare for.”
