Turner Challenges 2025 Assessment, Says Legal Lake Access Lacking

Brian Turner told the City of Pewaukee Board of Review that his home at N40 W27535 Glacier Road is over-assessed, arguing the property's lack of legal access to its lake frontage and differences with comparables make the city's $924,000 assessment excessive. Turner said he bought the house in 2021 for $485,000, completed renovations, and that the new 2025 assessment would represent a roughly 54% increase since the last on-site evaluation.

Turner presented three nearby sales he described as closer matches, including a home that sold this month for about $850,000 that he said was the best comparable. He emphasized he has no legal way to cross the railroad to access his lake frontage, meaning his waterfront is effectively landlocked and less valuable on resale.

City assessor Brett Tufts and appraiser Trevor Land responded that their office separates land from improvements for reporting but that the aggregate assessed value is the appealable figure. Assessors explained they use sales to model mass-appraisal values, apply condition and feature adjustments, and that updated 2025 cost tables and rising construction costs since 2021 helped raise comparable replacement-cost figures. They argued Turner's remodels and market movement support the assessment.

Board members questioned how much weight to give a sale that occurred after the Jan. 1 valuation date and discussed how condition and kitchen-quality differentials are measured; the chair said post-Jan-1 sales may be considered but generally given less weight under Department of Revenue guidance. Turner closed by reiterating the dramatic increase over a short period and saying he believed a realistic market value would be in the $700,000'$800,000 range.

The record does not show a final determination for Turner's case in the provided transcript excerpt; the board instructed parties that it would follow statutory checklists in deliberation and that written findings or instructions would be provided.