70.075 Functions of board of assessors in cities of the 2nd class.

(1) In cities of the 2nd class the common council may by ordinance provide that objections to property tax assessments shall be processed through a board of assessors. In such cases, the city assessor shall publish a class 3 notice, under ch. 985, that on the days named in the notice, the assessments for the city will be open for examination by the taxable inhabitants of the city. On the 2nd Monday of May the city assessor shall call together all of the members of the board of assessors as created in sub. (2) and they, together with the city assessors, shall constitute an assessment board.

(2) In cities of the 2nd class which have elected to have a board of assessors, the board shall have at least 3 members and no more than 7 members, and shall consist of the city assessor, assistant assessors, appraisers or other expert technical personnel appointed by the city assessor and approved by the common council.

(3) To the end that all valuations throughout the city shall be made on a uniform basis, such board of assessors, under the direction and supervision of the city assessor, shall compare the valuations so secured, making all necessary corrections and all other just and necessary changes to arrive at the true value of property within the city. The city assessor may direct that all objections to valuations filed with the city assessor in writing, in the manner provided in s. 70.47 (13), shall be investigated by the board.

(4) The concurrence of a majority of the board of assessors is necessary to determine any matter upon which the city assessor requires it to act. No notice need be given to the owners of the property assessed of any corrections or changes in assessments which are made prior to the day or days fixed in the notice specified under sub. (1) on which the assessments are to be open for examination, but any changes made thereafter and before the assessment roll is delivered to the board of review can only be made upon notice by 1st class mail to the person assessed if a resident of the city or, if a nonresident, an agent if there is one resident in the city or, if neither, the possessor of the property assessed if any, if the residence of the owner, agent or possessor is known to any member of the board of assessors.

(5) The city assessor may provide for committees of the board of assessors to make investigations including the investigations mentioned in sub. (3) and perform such other duties as may be prescribed. The city assessor shall chair the board of assessors, and may appoint as a member or chairperson of the various committees, himself or herself, an assistant assessor, or other officer or employee in the office of the city assessor.

(6) The board of assessors shall remain in session until all corrections and changes have been made, including all those resulting from investigations by committees of objections to valuations filed with the city assessor as provided in this section, after which the city assessor shall prepare the assessment rolls as corrected by the board of assessors and submit them to the board of review not later than the last Monday in July. A person assessed who has been notified of the determination of the board of assessors as required in sub. (4) is deemed to have accepted such determination unless the person notifies the city assessor in writing, within 15 days from the date that the notice of determination was issued under sub. (4), of a desire to present testimony before the board of review. After the board of review meets, the city assessor may appoint committees of the board of assessors to investigate any objections to the amount or valuation of any real or personal property which are referred to the city assessor by the board of review. The committees so appointed may at the city assessor's direction report their investigation and recommendations to the board of review and any member of any such committee shall be a competent witness in any hearing before the board of review.

(7) This section does not apply to a city of the 2nd class if it is contained within a county which adopts a county assessor system under s. 70.99.

History: 1977 c. 29; 1981 c. 20; 2005 a. 49.