Do You Know
Your Real
Property Lister?
Every County has
One.
Presented at the 2015 Wisconsin Counties
Association Annual Conference
September 21, 2015, La Crosse Center, La Crosse, WI
Acknowledgements
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
James Wallen, Brown County •
Roxanne Moore, Burnett Co.-R •
Cheryl Zellmer, Dane County •
David Addison, Dodge County •
Holly Hansen, Door County
•
Al Brokmeier, Kenosha County •
Pam Hollnagel, La Crosse Co. •
Lauree Aulik, Lafayette Co.
•
•
Marge Johnson, Lincoln County
Ruth Winter, Menominee Co.
Jeremy Erickson, Monroe Co.
Cindy Wisinski, Portage Co.
Pat Harmann, Racine Co. - Ret.
Ann Burton Sauk County - Ret.
Krista Paulson, Sauk County
Nick Gamroth, Trempealeau Co.
Brian Braithwaite, Washington
Co.
PRESENTATION GOALS:
• Origins
• An understanding of the role of the Real Property Lister
Position in County Government
• Responsibilities in the assessment cycle and in land
records
• Relationships with other county offices, local officials
and the State of Wisconsin
• Knowledge, skills, and training needed for the position
• Possible future roles of the position
Origins
History of Assessing in
Wisconsin
Elected Local Assessors
Elected Local Assessors with County
Boards Appointed Perform Equalization
State Board of Equalization
1868 County Boards Given
Responsibility for Assessments
Origins
History of Assessing in
Wisconsin
Statewide Commission 1899 Appointed. Tax
Administration must be Performed by Non-elected
Professionals
Three Person Commission Appointed to Direct
Assessments
Equalization Added
Commission Eventually Becomes the Department of
Revenue
Origins
The Assessor
•Enter each parcel on
the assessment roll in
regular order by
government
subdivisions with
“such certainty as
would be sufficient
between grantor and
grantee in a
conveyance of
property.”
•Elected
•Not certified
•Shortened legal
description
The Town Clerk
The Treasurer
• Created Tax Roll
•Billed and collected
•Applied mil rate to
taxes using the hand
each parcel
written tax roll.
•Total tax roll and
•Wrote certificates on
deliver to local
delinquencies
Treasurer
•Tax Deeds on
•Shortened legal
delinquent land
descriptions.
became impossible
no one knew what
land was being taxed
Origins
•
A parcel of land located in Government Lot
One(1) of Section Twenty-four(24) Township
Thirty-nine(39) North, of Range fourteen (14)
West, described as follows: Beginning at
the point which is 710 feet East and 33 feet
South of the Northwest corner of said
Section 24, being the northeast corner of a
parcel of land described in Volume 91 of
Deeds, page 112, as recorded in the office of
the Register of Deeds, thence running East
and parallel with the North line of said
Section a distance of 647 feet, thence South
parallel with the West line of said Section 24,
a distance of 850 feet, thence West parallel
with the North line of said Section 300 feet,
more or less to the shore of Bass Lake,
thence Northerly and Northwesterly along the
shore of Bass Lake to a point South of the
Point of beginning, being the Southeast
corner of above referenced Volume 91 page
112, thence North parallel with the West line
of said section 24 to the point of the
beginning.
Origins
Origins
•Works
Progress
Administration
•Wisconsin
State
Legislature
Origins
Problems
• Mislabeled Fractional
Quarters
• Mislabeled Government
Lots
• Omitted Parcels
• Incorrect Ownership
• Double Assessments
• Missing Records
Solutions
• Better Grantor/Grantee
Indexing
• Tract Indexes
• Parcel Numbers
• Parcel Mapping
Origins
Origins
• Designate provision for position
– Tax Description Auditors, Tax
Description Supervisors, Property Tax
Lister, Tax Writing Directors, Tax
Commissioners, County Tax Lister, Tax
Lister or Clerks and/or Technicians
Origins
• 1952
– Organizational meeting of County Tax
Listing Departments
• Appoint committee to develop constitution and
by-laws organizing Tax Listers as statewide
group
– Assume responsibility for accurate legal
descriptions
– Encourage development of meetings and
educational opportunities
– Establish uniformity within profession
Origins
• 1961
– Wisconsin County Tax
Lister’s Association and
Wisconsin Counties
Association requested
amendment to Wisconsin
State Statute, Chapter 70
• Creation Wisconsin Statue
70.09
– County Real Property
Lister position and
duties defined
– Tax cycle initiated
• Establish RPL at county
government level
• Statutory authority to
provide service to protect
general welfare and public
records
The Assessment Process and
Relationships with Other Offices
Co. Treasurer
GIS
Maintains parcel
maps
Generates tax bills,
supplies addresses
County GIS
Assessor
Property values
RPL
Combines legal
descriptions,
ownership and
values
Register of Deeds
Deeds, CSMs,
subdivisions and
condominiums
DOR
Manufacturing values
The RPL Workflow: The transfer of
ownership
Deeds and
other data
Changes
reviewed/
edited
Overnight
Printing
Changes
Returned to
RPL
Corrections
Rolls
Changed
Real
Property
Lister
Parcel
mapped
per deed
or plat
Legal
description read,
Interests/parcel
number
confirmed
Forwarded
to GIS
Preliminary legal
created, interests
conveyed other
information. Change
order sent to GIS
Straight
Transfer
Rolls
Changed
Split or
Combination
Delivery to customers: Assessors, C/V/T, County Treasurer,
Department Revenue, General Public and other County Offices.
Products Created or Derived: Assessment Rolls, Parcel Maps,
Sales Data, Tax Bills, Ownership Information and the County
Website.
Process and Relationships
Discovery
and Listing
Taxation
Board of
Review
Valuation
Open Book
Process and
Relationships
• Almost half of
Wisconsin's revenue
depends on the work
of the RPL
• State wide estimated
266,000 roll changes
Process and
Relationships
Assessors 1%
Clerks 3%
Surveyors 6%
Planning 6%
Register of Deeds 8%
Real Property Lister Office
9%
Land Information Office 27%
County Treasurer 38%
Process and
Relationships
• “Typical” RPL
– 15 Years Experience
– Make 3,700 Changes to
the Roll Annually
– Average Office Staff of
Two
– Commonly Holds a
Bachelors Degree
– Frequently Possess an
Assessors License
– May have a Background
in the Title Industry
An attempt to summarize what a
Real Property Lister is…
A property lister is not a lawyer, but they have to know real estate law.
A property lister is not a land surveyor, but they have to know how to measure
land.
A property lister is not a cartographer, but they have to know how to make a
map.
A property lister is not a title examiner, but they have to know how to examine
title.
A property lister is not a clerk, but they have to know how to develop and apply
mill rates for taxation.
A property lister is not a register of deeds, but they have to be able to read and
interpret deeds.
An attempt to summarize what a
Real Property Lister is…
A property lister is not an assessor, but they have to be well versed in
assessment practices.
A property lister is not a zoning administrator, but they have to understand
zoning ordinances.
A property lister is not a planner, but they have to understand planning and land
division ordinances.
A property lister is not a conservationist, but they have to understand
conservation programs.
A property lister is not a GIS analyst, but they have to be able to analyze
geographic information.
ETC.
Important Skills for Effective RPLs
• Organizational Skills
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•
Dates and Deadlines
Information and Resources
• Problem Solving Skills
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Analyze information for clues or pertinent facts
Collate facts and ideas
Learning from experience and building upon it
• Communication Skills
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•
Good listener
Speak so that people can understand you…or relate to you.
•
•
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Use of all formats of communication
•
•
•
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Use of technical terms
Casual verbiage / slang
Teachable moments
Phone
Email
Letters
Humility
•
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Nobody knows everything
Everyone makes mistakes
Put yourself in others shoes
What does the future hold?
The role or extent the RPL will play in the
future will largely depend upon legislative
decisions.
•Dependent on statutory changes and state budgetary
provisions
Influenced by DOR and possibly DOA
decisions and programs at the state level.
•The most likely influences being assessment related
via the DOR or state parcel map.
What does the future hold?
Consolidated or county wide assessment?
•In house or contracted?
The future role of an RPL may be that of
an information clearing house.
Questions?