June 26, 2006

CONTACTS:

Le DeGroot or Jim Danielson, Accurate Appraisal, LLC (1-800-770-3927)

Todd Schmidt, City Administrator (608-868-6900)

Accurate Appraisal, LLC, the City’s contracted assessor, will be conducting a complete revaluation of property in the City of Milton beginning the week of July 10th.  A revaluation is the process used to establish new property values for the upcoming assessment year.  The main purpose of a revaluation is to establish fair market value on all property to maintain an equitable distribution of property taxes.  The City is mandated by statute to be at or above 90% of market value to keep pace with changes in the local market.  The last time a complete revaluation was conducted in the City of Milton was 2001. 

The assessors are scheduled to begin property walk through inspections on July 10th.  They will be assessing each individual property in the City of Milton.  If property owners are not available at the time of the assessors initial visit, Accurate Appraisal will contact them to schedule an appointment.  Public participation in the program is important to the overall success of the project.  By denying a walk through, property owners may lose their right to appeal an assessment to the Board of Review, which hears cases related to the assessment of properties.  Assessors will be equipped with Accurate Appraisal ID badges, wear logo shirts, and drive marked vehicles.  Anyone wishing to question an ID or generally concerned about letting the assessor into their property can contact the Accurate Appraisal office at 1-800-770-3927, the Milton Police Department at 868-6910, or City Hall at 868-6900.

Initial assessment fieldwork is to be completed by August 11.  Property owners will be mailed assessment notices in mid September that will include the new assessed value of their property.  Those who have questions or concerns about their new assessment must schedule an appointment to speak with assessors during Open Book meetings, which will be held on September 26^th and September 27^th at City Hall.

City property owners may find additional information in any of the following ways:

• Broadcasted informational program aired periodically on Channel 13
• Public Informational Meeting on July 10^th at 5:30pm at City Hall
• Website with FAQ, schedule and more info: www.ci.milton.wi.us/2006revaluation.aspx
• Fliers available at City Hall (430 E. High St., upper level)
• Contact Accurate Appraisal at 1-800-770-3927 or City Hall at 868-6900 x5