The Village of McFarland contracts with Accurate Appraisal, LLC for property assessment services. Click on their website below to view your property assessment information online.
Accurate Appraisal LLC
1428 Midway Road
PO Box 415
Menasha WI 54952-0415
Phone 800-770-3927
Fax 920-749-8099
Website www.accurateassessor.com
Residents can find information on all parcels located within the Village of McFarland (such as ownership, parcel number, legal description, assessed value, fair market value, and real and personal property tax amounts) at the Access Dane website: http://accessdane.co.dane.wi.us/
PROPERTY ASSESSMENT PROCESS
On January 1st of each year, the Assessor determines an assessed value (the dollar amount assigned for the purpose of taxation) on all real and personal property within the Village of McFarland. Whenever the total assessment of any real property, or any improvments taxed as personal property, are changed by any amount, the owner is notified by mail. The notice not only contains the amount of the changed assessment, but information notifying the property owner of the procedures to be used to object to the assessment. There are two different processes, informal and formal, in which a property owner can appeal their assessment.
Open Book
Open Book provides property owners with an informal opportunity to meet with the Assessor to review and discuss their assessment record. The completed assessment roll is available at Open Book and property owners can also use this opportunity to review the assessments of all properties located within the Village. Board of Review is held prior to the formal Board of Review appeal process.
Property owners are encouraged to attend Open Book if they have any questions on how their assessment was determined. Most people would not proceed with the formal appeal process of Board of Review if they knew the factors that were taken into consideration in arriving at their assessment. Examples of some of these are: sales of comparable properties, current construction costs, improvements to property, location, depreciation, legal restrictions such as zoning ordinances, and general economic changes in the community.
Board of Review
In order to appeal your assessment before the Board of Review, you need to schedule an appointment and obtain the necessary forms from the Village Clerk. The office of the Village Clerk is located in the Administration Department of the McFarland Municipal Center, 5915 Milwaukee St. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The Board of Review is a formal, quasi-judicial process for appealing the assessment of real and personal property. The Board of Review is comprised of five residents who receive sworn testimony and evidence, from both the protesting property owner and the Assessor, and make a determination on the validity of the facts presented, under oath, before it. The Assessor's value is presumed to be correct and is changed only if the Board of Review determines that the sworn testimony and evidence presented by the protesting property owner proves otherwise. The information above is a very brief and general explanation of the property assessment and appeal processes. If you would like more information, or are considering an appeal of your assessed value, the “Guide to Property Owners”, published by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue Division of State and Local Finance Bureau of Assessment Practices is an excellent resource. Copies are available at the Village Administration Office or may be downloaded in Adobe Acrobat format at www.revenue.wi.gov under Publications – Government – Property Tax.
The following methods are used to apprise the public of the date, time, and location for Open Book and Board of Review.
1. Via mail to the property owner if there is a change in the total assessment.
2. On the Village Website.
3. Published as a legal notice in "The McFarland Thistle."
4. Posted on the front door of the McFarland Municipal Center, 5915 Milwaukee Street.
5. Posted at the regular posting places -
E.D. Locke Public Library, 5920 Milwaukee Street
McFarland Municipal Center, 5915 Milwaukee Street
McFarland State Bank, 5990 Highway 51