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Assessors outline 2026 revaluation: exterior inspections start in October, valuations set to Jan. 1, 2026
Summary
Associated Appraisal told the board it will perform a full on‑site exterior revaluation of all taxable properties with values set as of Jan. 1, 2026. Inspectors will begin fieldwork late September/October, notices will be mailed after valuations are completed and open‑book and board‑of‑review dates were described.
Associated Appraisal presented the village’s annual assessor duties and the firm’s timeline for the 2026 revaluation at the Sept. 15 Village Board meeting. The firm detailed the process, key dates, and the public‑communications plan trustees asked staff to help execute.
Why it matters: A revaluation updates assessed values to current market levels; while a revaluation does not change the total tax levy, it reallocates the existing levy among parcels based on updated values and can therefore change individual tax bills.
Key points and timeline - Assessment date: All assessed values will be set to the market as of Jan. 1, 2026; revaluation is a statutorily required step to keep assessed values within acceptable compliance ranges. - Exterior on‑site inspections: Associated Appraisal said it will mail an informational letter a few weeks before on‑site data collection begins and will deploy about 12 field staff to do exterior property visits; the firm expects to complete initial residential fieldwork in roughly six weeks once inspections start. Inspectors will carry company IDs and drive marked vehicles; they will ring doors or leave door hangers when no one answers. - Data and modeling: Assessors will analyze sales from the prior two to three years to build valuation models for land and buildings and use comparable‑sales methods to set values. Manufacturing property assessments are handled directly by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue and are not part of the local revaluation process. - Notice and appeal process: Notices of changed assessment are expected to be mailed in August 2026, followed by the open‑book period (informal meetings with owners) and then the Board of Review. The firm said it will recommend outreach including a web page, graphics, sample language for social media, and a short informational pamphlet to include with mailed notices.
Operational details and community outreach Associated Appraisal noted the firm will not generally request interior inspections but will take exterior photos, verify condition and quality ratings, update property sketches and note additions or accessory structures. Staff discussed how mailing addresses for notices come from Dane County tax records; the county’s redaction policy may cause some owner names to appear as “not available” on public parcel lookup sites, so Associated asked the village to help publicize that notices will still be mailed to the correct mailing addresses.
Communications and board requests Trustees asked for clear, repeated outreach to residents (village website, social media, utility/tax mailers and a potential in‑person “lunch‑and‑learn”). Associated offered to provide short videos, graphics and sample text for the village to use. The board asked staff to return with a communications timeline and a plan for public information sessions ahead of the formal notices.
Ending: Associated and village staff will finalize an outreach plan and begin on‑the‑ground inspections as scheduled; property owners will receive a notice prior to fieldwork and a separate notice of changed assessment when valuations are complete.
