Revaluation FAQs

An increase in your assessment does not necessarily mean an increase in your property taxes. Additionally, a decrease in your assessment does not necessarily mean a decrease in your property taxes. Your property tax rate will not be last year’s property tax rate multiplied by this year’s assessed value.

Though the assessed value of your property affects your share of taxes, the actual amount you pay is determined by the budget needs, or levy of the schools, city, county, technical college and state reforestation. All of these taxing bodies decide their budget needs based on services to be provided to the community. If the total levy remains the same, only those properties that are not presently paying their fair share of the tax burden will pay more taxes after a revaluation. Properties presently paying more than their fair share will pay less. 

To illustrate how the levy affects your assessment we’ll look at Badgertown; a community of two. Each resident owns a house valued at $100,000. Badgertown’s tax levy is $2,000; the amount needed to cover its expenses. Since each resident owns 50% of the total property, they each pay 50% of the levy giving them each a tax bill of $1,000.

If property values in Badgertown go up 10%, then each property is assessed at $110,000. The amount they pay in taxes, however, remains the same. Each resident still owns 50% of the total property in Badgertown and must pay 50% of the $2,000 tax levy or $1,000. And what if values start dropping? Residents’ property might drop to $80,000 each but because they each still own 50% of the property, and Badgertown still needs to collect $2,000, they will continue to see a $1,000 property tax bill.

The tax rate is calculated each year to determine what the property tax levy will be for the upcoming year. In other words, it sets the total amount the Sun Prairie municipal government can collect through property taxes to fund services and operations. 

The tax rate adjusts based on both the levy and the total value of all taxable property in the community. It is often expressed in terms of dollars per thousand (also known as the mill rate). If the assessed values established by a revaluation are greater than they were before and the tax levy is the same, then the tax rate will be less. For example, if the tax levy remains unchanged and the total assessed value of the taxation district is doubled, the tax rate will be cut in half.

Until the budget needs for all the taxing bodies are determined, the effect on your taxes cannot immediately be established. Please call 608-825-1186 for more information.

General economic conditions, such as interest rates, inflation, supply and demand, and changes in tax laws, will influence the market value of real estate. As property values change in the market place, those changes must be reflected on the Assessment Roll on an annual basis. Consequently, assessed values can go up or down even if you have made no changes to your property. Please call 608-825-1186 for more information.

You can contact the Assessor’s Office at 608-825-1186. If your question cannot immediately be answered you will be directed to the appraiser for your area. If you have recently received an Assessment Change Notice, we encourage you to contact the Assessor’s Office at 608-825-1186 to make an appointment to meet with the appraiser during Open Book.

Open Book is the period of time just after the Assessor has completed the annual Assessment Roll and Assessment Change Notices have been mailed. 

During this time the Assessment Roll is open to the whole community for review. Time is reserved for property owners to make appointments with the Assessing staff to review property records and discuss valuation concerns. The Assessor’s staff will have a limited number of evening appointments available.

If you wish to object to your assessment we encourage you to first meet with a member of the Assessor’s staff who can answer your questions.

The law requires that the Assessor assess all property not exempt by law, which has any real or marketable value as of January first each year. For more information, please visit our Assessment Process page. 

The last city revaluation occurred in 2023. After that was complete, the City Assessors Office scheduled future revaluations – with 2026 being the next planned revaluation year. The fact that a revaluation is occurring the same year as a referendum was placed on the April ballot is simply a coincidence, and there is no connection between the two.

Revaluations are completed not to increase the total revenue to a community, but to make sure that the taxes paid are equitable. In Wisconsin, the measure of equity is fair market value. While a revaluation can cause your taxes to go up, the City cannot use a revaluation to increase the property tax levy.