City assessor outlines 2025 revaluation: assessed value up 20.6%; notices to be mailed April 25

Sam Walker, the City of Waukesha assessor, briefed the Common Council on the 2025 citywide revaluation on April 15 and recommended steps for property owners to review and, if necessary, appeal their assessments.

Why it matters: Revaluations adjust assessed values to match market conditions and can change individual property tax bills even if overall tax levies stay the same. Walker said the city must stay within Wisconsin Department of Revenue compliance ranges and that a mid‑cycle revaluation was necessary because market values continued to rise after the 2023 revaluation.

Walker reported the revaluation covered 22,915 parcels and increased total market value from about $8.7 billion to about $10.5 billion—an increase he gave as roughly 20.63%. He said residential properties show an average increase near 14–16% while commercial values rose substantially faster—roughly 39–47% depending on the measure—leaving commercial owners with a heavier share of the market‑value change. Manufacturing values were not yet included; Walker said those figures would arrive later in the year (estimated October–November).

Walker outlined the public timeline: notices of change of assessment would mail Friday, April 25; open‑book review runs April 28–May 16; and the initial Board of Review is scheduled for June 6. He said the notices would be expanded this year to four pages with additional explanation, contact information, and a QR code linking to the revaluation web page. He encouraged property owners to contact the assessor’s office during the open‑book period and said appeals are welcome because they provide essential information to the office.

In response to questions from Alder Mike Anderson, Walker defined a valid sale as an arm’s‑length transaction (not intra‑family transfers, sheriff’s sales, or auctions). Walker confirmed that some properties had decreases in value and said staff audited any residential or condo property that changed by more than 25% to identify drivers (sales, permits, discovery of unrecorded improvements) and applied neighborhood adjustments where appropriate.

Walker emphasized that tax rate and individual tax‑bill impacts would not be known until later in the year once budgets, net new construction values, and manufacturing values are finalized. He said the assessor’s office posted valuation data and would be transparent with maps and sales information online.

Next steps: Notices go out April 25, open‑book meetings follow, and the initial Board of Review hearing is June 6. Property owners with questions were directed to contact the assessor’s office using the phone numbers and QR code on the notice.