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Weekly Blast!: Last week the Town of Grant hosted the Portage County unit meeting of the Wisconsin Towns Association (WTA). This week I attended the WTA Annual Convention in Stevens Point. Town and village officers from all over the State of Wisconsin were present; hundreds of them. Each year this event helps to educate officers about state statutes, current legislation, road maintenance and construction, budgeting, ambulance and fire protection, and so much more. No one officer can attend all the sessions available (we need the entire board to do that!) but these are the ones I attended: 1) Cypersecurity Attacks; 2) Fire Protection Service Fees; 3) Legal “Cracker Barrel” (where officers can ask the WTA attorneys ANYTHING); 4) Large-Scale Wind & Solar; and 5) Industrial Development. Each session was extremely interesting and educational. Of particular interest was the session on Fire Protection Service Fees. Currently we pay for fire protection services from our general fund to the Town of Grand Rapids and the Village of Plainfield. The first uses equalized value to determine what we pay whereas the second uses a formula that is proportional to each contracted municipality. The former does not and so unfortunately, we pay a disproportional amount to T. Grand Rapids. In this WTA session they recommended two options if we don’t want to continue pulling from our general fund: 1) referendum to increase our levy; or 2) using a formula based on square footage of homes/businesses/land size, etc. to have landowners pay proportionally based on the anticipated expense of a fire to their parcel. It’s a very interesting option and several towns are working with their assessors to create a fair formula for landowners. For example, an agricultural field would pay far less than a large commercial building, or a small home would pay less than a large one with several accessory buildings, etc. Moving forward the Town of Grant will be looking at options as the price of fire protection increases every year. We need to find ways to make it fair with the greatest protection for all our residents, their homes, businesses, and land. Enjoy the anticipated stunning weather, Sharon

Posted on by clerk

Board of Review 2025

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT The Board of Review for the Town of Grant of Portage County shall open the Board of Review on the 16th day of May 2025 from 2:00PM – 4:00PM, at the Grant Town Hall located at 9011 County Road WW Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin 54494. 

Please be advised of the following requirements to appear before the Board of Review and procedural requirements if appearing before the Board:

No person shall be allowed to appear before the Board of Review, to testify to the board by telephone or to contest the amount of any assessment of real or personal property if the person has refused a reasonable written request by certified mail of the assessor to view such property.

After the first meeting of the Board of Review and before the Board’s final adjournment, no person who is scheduled to appear before the Board of Review may contact, or provide information to, a member of the board about that person’s objection except at a session of the board.

No person may appear before the Board of Review, testify to the Board by telephone or contest the amount of any assessment unless, at least 48 hours before the first meeting of the Board or at least 48 hours before objection is heard if the objection is allowed because the person has been granted a waiver of the 48-hour notice of an intent to file a written objection by appearing before the board during the first two (2) hours of the meeting and showing good cause for failure to meet the 48 hour notice requirement and files a written objection, that person provides to the Clerk of the Board of Review notice as to whether the person will ask for removal of any Board member, if so, which member will be removed and the person’s reasonable estimate of the length of time that the hearing will take.

When appearing before the board, the person shall specify, in writing, the person’s estimate of the value of the land and of the improvement that are the subject of the person’s objection and specify the information that the person used to arrive at that estimate.

 

No person may appear before the Board of Review, testify to the Board by telephone or subject or object to a valuation; if that valuation was made by the Assessor or the Objector using the income method; unless the person supplies the Assessor all of the information about income and expenses, as specified in the manual under Sec 73.03(2a), that the Assessor requests.  The information that is provided under this paragraph, unless a court determined that it is inaccurate, is not subject to the right of inspection and copying under Section 19:35(1) of Wis. Statutes.

The Board shall hear upon oath, by telephone, all ill or disabled persons who present to the Board a letter from a physician, surgeon or osteopath that confirms their illness or disability.  No other persons may testify by telephone.

Respectfully submitted,

Town of Grant

Stefanie Schlapa, Clerk

Open Book May 9th from 2:00PM – 4:00PM