Green Bay Press-Gazette from Green Bay, Wisconsin • Page 2

A-2 Monday. October 23, 1995 Green Bay Press-Gazette From A-l Assess 1 IJ rJi I II Wt liHisr-JSu- I sA II I I tl ,11 1 I vV'l 4 ivj tlx State law requires municipalities to revalue every five years. It says property assessments cannot be more than 10 percent below market value for more than four years. After that, a municipality has until the seventh year to complete a revaluation, or the state steps in to conduct one. Green Bay's revaluation must be completed by 1998.

The city's ratio of assessed value to market value dropped from 76 percent last year to 71 percent this year, meaning the average property assessment is 30 percent below today's market values. The City Council approved money last year for equipment that will enable assessors to lay the groundwork for updating assessments each year via computer. The new system would allow periodic updates of neighborhood assessments, eliminating long gaps between revaluations and drastic swings in taxpayers' assessments. A total of $770,000 has been allocated to the in-house project to date, with the total cost estimated at $1 million. The money pays for the new equipment, as well as 13 employees to conduct the revaluation, Dorschner said.

equalizes things," Quass said. But just what are appraisers judging when they tour a property? Inside the Quasses' Seneca Court home. Harmeling and an assistant first visited the basement. There they noted the zoned heat and central air. A finished room added more value.

On the main floor, Harmeling evaluated the style and condition of the kitchen cabinets, and said a center island added workability -also a plus. Upstairs, the appraisers counted the bedrooms and bathrooms and noted any updates. Harmeling said other details that can boost a property's value are six-paneled doors, hardwood and ceramic-tiled floors and floors that don't creak. But updated kitchens and bathrooms inside, and vinyl or aluminum siding outside, are the big-ticket items because of their popularity in the marketplace, he said. Quass, who went through Green Bay's door-to-door revaluation in 1978 and a computer revaluation in 1985, wasn't concerned about the one that just started.

His property taxes went down slightly when the city lowered the tax rate after both earlier ones, he said. interior can make a difference, Dorschner said If they can't, they must rely on comparisons with similar homes in the neighborhood. Finally, those who don't allow the appraisers inside, even after a follow-up call from the city, lose the right to appeal their new assessment, Dorschner said. Battling the misperceptions of assessors" work can be as much a part of the job as taking measurements and counting bedrooms. The difficulty is helping property owners understand that the fluctuating real estate market, neighborhood changes and property alterations throw assessments out of line with a home's market value.

A routine analysis of all properties, using the same standards at the same time, is essential to ensuring taxes are spread equitably around the community. Don Quass knew that when he and his wife, Joan, made an appointment to have their house appraised at their convenience. "It certainly levels things out; it Press-Gazette photo by Ken Behrend appraisers to make an appointment, stands outside his home on Seneca Court as revaluation technicians Sarah Hoppe, center, and Jennifer Folk, right, survey the exterior of the house. Evaluating the exterior: Don Quass, left, isn't worried about the city of Green Bay's revaluation that began last week, he says, because of his experience during the city's 1978 revaluation. Quass, who called the city Tentative time line for revaluation Correction What's the meaning of revaluation terms? Here are definitions of terms to help taxpayers understand what happens during a revaluation.

Because of a production error, an outdated crossword puzzle was published in Saturday's Press-Gazette. The correct puzzle resumes today. The Press-Gazette corrects factual errors promptly and courteously. If you have a correction or clarification, please call the Metro desk at 431-8341. March 1997: City hopes to have all assessment data collected.

May 1997: All property owners will be notified of new assessments. June 1997: City hopes to have the revaluation completed and new assessments submitted to the state. June-July 1997: Open-book sessions, expected to last five or six weeks. Opportunity for residents to discuss their new assessments with appraisers. July-August 1997: Board of Review period during which property owners may protest new assessments.

Property owners must file a form with the city clerk stating their objection and set an appointment with the Board of Review. December 1997: Property owners receive tax bills based on new assessments. Oct. 18, 1995: City began revaluing the 32,000 properties inside its borders. Appraisers began visiting homes on the northwest side in the neighborhood bounded by North Military and Shawano avenues, and Bond and North Taylor streets.

Late November, 1995: Appraisers begin assessing commercial property throughout the city. 435 E. Walnut P.O. Box 19430 Green Bay, Wl 54307-9430 Business Hours: Weekdays, 7:30 p.m. Saturdays, 7:30 a.nvnoon Press-Gazette A GANNETT NEWSPAPER Common questions and answers Assessed value: Dollar amount assigned to taxable property by assessor to determine how much a property is worth for tax purposes.

Market value: How much a property would sell for under normal market conditions. Assessment level: Percentage showing the relationship of assessed value to market value of all taxable property within a town, Main office: 435-4411 or (800) 444-0007 William T. Nusbaum David Holllngsworth president and publisher marketing director Claude J. Warder editor Brian Ambor production director Michael Prazma director Douglas C. Miller controller James M.

Lobas director Monica Baures services Sharon L. Holllngsworth human resources, 431-8228 Denise Handrick customer quality director, 431-8268 village or city. Revaluation: To place new assessed values A Normal home repairs and maintenance generally prevent property values from falling and usually do not warrant an increase in the assessment. Allowing a property to deteriorate, however, could lower its market value and accordingly, the assessment. Q.

Will 1 be penalized if appraisers find I've made a major improvement to my home without obtaining a city building permit? A. No. Q. Will appraisers report other city ordinance violations after they've visited my home? A. No.

They are not certified as building inspectors and do not want to create ill will with Will my taxes automatically rise after the revaluation? A. No. Although most property assessments will rise, some will fall or remain the same. Even property owners whose assessments rise may not pay more taxes because tax rates usually are reduced after revaluations. Should homeowners postpone major improvements until after their property has been appraised? A.

Improvements don't necessarily result in a corresponding increase in the property assessment. But because major improvements increase a home's overall market value, the assessment may be affected. Q. Will my assessment increase if I repair and maintain my home? Laurie Holloway managing editor, 431-8325 We welcome your news tips, comments and concerns about our news coverage. Please call us at the following numbers.

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on all taxable property. Reassessment: To redo a municipality's assessment roll because of substantial inequities. The state Department of Revenue can order a reassessment of all, or parts, of taxable property in a community if it finds assessments don't comply with the law. Press-Gazette graphic Spectators: Actors in subtle drama Home delivery is the most economical way to receive the Press-Gazette. Papers are delivered by 5 p.m.

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weekdays. ness. Their heads swivel back and forth, back and forth. Jurors aren't the only note-takers. Reporters one row removed from the front rail scrawl on legal pads all day.

Investigators working for the defense lawyers sit in the first row behind the defense tables. Occasionally, one will leave on a mission and return a short while later. Joan Monfils always takes notes. She has filled up at least six large notebooks. Her husband, Ed, sits impassively next to her.

Her daughter-in-law and Tom's widow, Susan, sits in the back of the Monfils side of the room. She's not there daily, and sometimes she's absent during painful testimony. The court has many other visitors who discreetly enter and leave after maybe an hour, maybe two. Many are members of Green Bay's sprawling legal community Judge Peter Naze, Assistant District Attorneys Pat Hitt and Dana Johnson, Brown County Sheriff Mike Donart, Green Bay Deputy Police Chief Jim Taylor and other department members. Many other lawyers come and go.

Some take notes of their own. When the court recesses or adjourns for the day, the scene is always the same. The Monfils family usually files out immediately. On the other side, poignant scenes. Piaskowski and Basten are free to mingle with their families and leave of their own volition because they posted bail.

Hirn, Kutska, Johnson and Moore are separated from relatives by a railing. They are still prisoners. They are allowed a few brief moments with their families. Physical contact is not allowed, but once in awhile, hands brush. A few words are spoken.

A few tired smiles are exchanged. Then sheriffs deputies gently nudge the defendants toward the exit and back to jail. And the last of the spectators leave, their backs aching from another day on the hardwood pews. Nine til noon, 1:15 to 5. It all starts over the next day.

VOL. LXXXNO. 118 1995 (USPS 228-160) Postmaster: Send address changes to Green Bay Press-Gazette. P.O. Box 19430, Green Bay.

Wl 54307-9430. Founded June 28, 1915, the Press-Gazette is published seven days per week by the Green Bay Press-Gazette. 435 E. Walnut Green Bay Wl 54301. Second-class postage paid at Green Bay, Wis.

Monday-Friday, delivery is in the evening, on weekends and holidays, delivery is in the morning. Member Associated Press and Audit Bureau of Circulation. By Don Langenkamp Press-Gazette Some come to court daily seeking guilt. Others are there to support innocence. In what has become a Monday-through-Saturday routine in the Tom Monfils murder trial now entering its fifth week, the families of the dead millworker and relatives of the six defendants file into Branch I Court for another grueling day of testimony.

Nine til noon, 1:15 to 5. The stern Judge James Bayorgeon worships justice and the clock with equal fervor. The Monfils family and it is large sits to the left of the center aisle. The six defendants' families sit to the right. The six Keith Kutska, Mike Piaskowski, Rey Moore, Mike Hirn, Dale Basten and Mike Johnson are charged with party to first-degree intentional homicide in Monfils' death on Nov.

21, 1992. Faces on both sides of the aisle show the strain. Smiles are forced and polite. Jocularity is rare. There is pain in the air an almost palpable emotional ache.

Certainly, Tom Monfils' relatives feel it. Just as certainly, so do the families of the six defendants. The two sides don't look at each other during court proceedings. And in a seemingly unspoken agreement, the Monfils family generally leaves the courtroom first during recesses and noon lunch breaks. When there is a happenstance meeting between, say, Tom's mother, Joan, and a relative of a defendant, their eyes rarely, if ever, meet.

The courtroom is large and ornate. It could be an ideal backdrop for a movie. There are five rows of heavy hardwood pews with plenty of legroom between them. In back, there are two rows of individual chairs. There is seating available for about 150 spectators.

In the beginning, the courtroom was little more than half full. Last week, with the defendants taking the stand, the gallery has grown noticeably. In the front, special seating arrangements have been made for this unique trial with its six separate defendants each with his own legal team; each with his own round table. The jury box is at the far left. Its occupants are young-to-middle age.

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