Property owners around Wisconsin receive special assessment charges when a major capital construction project in their community benefits them. The most common example is street reconstruction, but this tool can be used for any manner of public works project.
What is the legal basis for local governments’ power to levy special assessments and on what can those assessments be spent under Wisconsin law? Who has to pay, when, and how much of the project should each property owner have to fund? What options exist for making the payment, and how are different types of property treated under the law?
Josh asks The Lawyers all of this and more, to help discern fact from fiction on this hot-button topic. Special thanks to Rich Carlson from Law & Litigation and Kristen Scheuerman from Herrling Clark for sharing their expertise.