Board upholds assessor's $883,300 valuation for Parkside Road lot; homeowners say depth and access were ignored

The Pewaukee Board of Review voted to uphold the City's 2025 aggregate assessed value of $883,300 for the Parkside Road property owned by Randall Haves and Carrie Clark.

Homeowners told the board they were concerned that the assessor's office applied a uniform front-foot valuation to dissimilar lots and did not account for their lot's shallower depth and lack of buildable area. Carrie Clark and Randall Haves said neighboring lots have boathouses, beaches and greater depth that allow additional structures and higher sale values; they added they are on fixed incomes and worried the reassessment could force them from their home.

City appraiser Brett Tufts (City Hall) explained the mass-appraisal method, saying lakefront value is driven by frontage and view, not acreage, and that depth factors are applied only when depth is an extreme market influence. He presented a comp grid of four sales on Parkside and nearby Woodland Drive, described condition and feature adjustments, and said the aggregate sales-supported value justified the assessment.

Board members repeatedly emphasized the statutory presumption that the assessor's valuation is correct and noted the homeowner bears the burden of proving an objective error. After questions and discussion about depth factors, comparables and recent sales, a board member moved to accept the assessor's valuation and the motion passed on a roll-call vote. The clerk will send a written determination and appeal instructions to the parties.

The homeowners said they might pursue appeal options and noted they have consulted counsel about railroad access and potential easements.