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Located along the Mississippi River, Prairie du Chien is a great place to visit, work and live. With a wide selection of natural beauty, a history dating back many centuries, events all year around, and a variety of business, shops and attractions, we invite you to visit and stay in our corner of the Upper Midwest.


CITY HALL LINKS

The city of Prairie du Chien is now on Facebook. Click on the logo for more information.

HELPFUL LINKS

Wisconsin's Equalized Values

Assessment Guide for Wisconsin Property Owners

Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 70 (General Property Taxes)

Click for Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin Forecast

 

City Budget & Taxes

* AMENDED 2011 BUDGET

* PROPOSED 2012 BUDGET

* 2012 BUDGET SUPPLEMENT

The intent of this column is to explain the effects of the budget, along with the other taxing jurisdictions on the tax bill that you receive. It’s hard to take a complex topic like real estate taxes in Wisconsin and explain it simply, especially when the media or other jurisdictions seem to use the method of explanation that best fits their situation.

Let's start by defining some terms that get used all the time in discussions of real estate taxes:

TAX LEVY = A revenue shortfall, or the difference between revenues and expenses for each tax jurisdiction. In the City of Prairie du Chien, we have (5) taxing jurisdictions, the City of Prairie du Chien, County of Crawford, Prairie du Chien Area School District, State of Wisconsin, and Southwest Technical College. Each of these jurisdictions send to the City, the City’s portion of their tax levy which is placed on your tax bill. So the tax bill you pay to the City is a combination of all five jurisdictions.

Tax Rate or mil rate = tax levy divided by the total assessed value of the City. In order to spread the tax levy equitably across all property in the City, a tax rate is created and then multiplied by each individual assessment to give you your share of the levy. The rate is usually expressed in dollars per $1,000 of assessed value. A tax rate is created for each of the five jurisdictions to give us a total tax rate.

Assessed value = a value placed on your property by the local assessor for tax purposes. The ratio (%) of assessed value to market value (Fair Market or Equalized Value) is determined by the Department of Revenue and changes from year to year.

The City generally holds a public hearing to set its tax levy in November, after the other jurisdictions have already held their public hearings and have submitted their final numbers to the City. The levies include the Tax Increment Financing levy for each tax jurisdiction.

The proposed total tax levy divided by the assessed value of the City yields a gross tax rate (per $1,000 of assessed value). We have a state school credit that is deducted to determine the net tax rate.

CALCULATING TAX LIABILITY  -  ASSESSED OR EQUALIZED VALUE

Final Assessed Value for Municipality

$713,548,200

Equalized Value of Municipality

$708,517,724

Equalized Ratio - Level of Assessment

100.71%

 
Home's Assessed Value

$100,000

Home's Equalized Value

$99,295

 
Total Net Tax To Collect From All Jurisdictions

$18,000,000

Tax Rate Based on Total Assessed Value ($18,000,000 / $713,548,200)

0.025226046

Taxes On Assessed Value of $100,000 (.025226046 X $100,000)

$2,522.60

 
Tax Rate Based on Equalized Value ($18,000,000 / $708,506,724)

0.025405151

Taxes On Equalized Value of $99,295 (.025405151 X $99,295)

$2,522.60

**NOTE: Calculation example only and not actual local figures.

The net tax rate x your assessed value = total tax.  Total tax + garbage fee – lottery credit = net tax.

Hopefully, this provides a better understanding of the information that is shown on your tax bill. Anyone having questions on their tax bill is encouraged to contact the City Administrator's Office at (608) 326-6406.
 


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