MILWAUKEE — Property owners across the City of Milwaukee are receiving their annual property assessments this week.
According to the Assessor's Office, the assessments increased citywide by approximately 15% compared to last year.
Patricia Clason, a longtime Riverwest resident who owns two properties on Booth Street, saw the value of one of her properties increase by $49,000 in a single year.
"I had to breathe when I read it," Clason said.
Between both homes, Clason is facing nearly $90,000 in assessment increases. It's the most significant jump she's seen in her 50 years of living on the street.
"When they're way out of whack like this, something is just not right," Clason said.
Clason reached out to TMJ4 to see if we could find answers for her.
"I wanted to get some answers, and I knew that I could count on TMJ4 News to check it out," she said.
Clason doesn't mind paying taxes but is worried that they will increase even more after these assessments.
Watch: Riverwest neighbors raise concerns over rising property assessments
"I wanna prosper the city," she said. "I’m grateful. I love this neighborhood. I’ve been a lifetime resident. I am saying though that it needs to be a little bit more reasonable.”
According to the city assessor's office, people who own condos and commercial buildings will also see the roughly 15% increase.
This creates a difficult situation for property owners like Thor Stolen, who owns and rents out properties on Booth Street as well.
"I'm forced to raise rent. And I try not to, because I value my neighbors and value the tenants that live around here," Stolen said.
Stolen expressed confusion about the assessment values, particularly for one of his properties.
"I'm confused, yeah, it's a tiny two-bedroom alley house that is now worth $130,000," Stolen said.
The rising assessments also raise concerns about upcoming property tax bills.
"I've yet to see assessments go up and property taxes not go up," Stolen said.
I reached out to the assessor's office to learn more about this year's assessments but did not receive a response by publication time.
The deadline to file an appeal with the assessor's office is at 4:45pm Monday, May 19, 2025. More information can be found here.
This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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