WAUKESHA, Wis. — It may be condemned and demolished but that is still not stopping the tax bills from going to the people of the Horizon West Condos.
“What is above the ground is what you are paying for. That is the craziness of the whole idea,” said Ben Chudy, president of the Horizon West Condo Association.
He lived in his condo for three years before the city evacuated the residents. He still pays a mortgage on his unit. He represents the 49 owners who say they are trapped paying taxes for something that doesn’t exist.
“This is just about where my unit was. This was my view,” said Ben.
For that former condo unit, Ben just received his tax bill.
Watch: Condo owners still get tax bills despite building being condemned and demolished
“Still paying [for] the individual unit which doesn’t exist. It's just a box of air. You're paying on that tax keys’ personal property tax,” said Ben.
Horizon West Condos were evacuated in December 2021 when the city said the building would collapse. It was eventually condemned and then torn down in January of this year.
The situation with the taxes has the city and the county’s attorneys pointing fingers at each other.
TMJ4 News reporter Rebecca Klopf asked to talk to both Erik Weidig, Waukesha County Corporation Counsel, and Brian Running, the Waukesha City Attorney; in person, but instead, they gave her statements.
The City of Waukesha said, “The city cannot foreclose on the condominium property, only the county can do that.”
While Waukesha County said, “The City of Waukesha, not Waukesha County controls the creation of these tax parcels and their assessment.”
The city, county, and condo association lawyers all sat down to try to find a solution, but they all told me no one had one answer.
“We’ve been advised or forced to become delinquent in our personal property taxes,” said Ben.
The county says if the owners do that for two years, foreclosure becomes an option. However, all 49 owners must agree, and the county must also approve the foreclosure.
“A lot of anxiety this season. A lot for everybody,” said Ben.
Both the county and the city have called this a unique and unfortunate situation and have suggested the owners work with their mortgage lenders to remove all the liens.
They say that could make foreclosure a better option, but no one is guaranteeing that will work.
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