Wisconsin Department of Revenue Investigates the 2025 Village of Fremont Property Assessments

VILLAGE OF FREMONT, WI - A public hearing conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue was held Monday evening at the Fremont Village Hall as part of a formal review of the Village’s 2025 property reassessment.

The hearing was led by Charles “Chuck” Paskey, Equalization Bureau Director for the Department of Revenue, and was attended a group of Department of Revenue staff members along with a full room of residents. The hearing was required under Wisconsin Statute 70.75 following a petition filed after the Village’s 2025 reassessment.

The petition was initiated by a group of residents, with Gabriel Rosenthal listed as the first signer on the petition.

Testimony presented

As the first signer of the petition, Rosenthal was allotted up to 30 minutes to present testimony. During his remarks, he argued that many Fremont properties were assessed at values he believed were significantly higher and lower than online market estimates, following the 2025 reassessment, stating he just wants fair values for everyone.

A second resident also provided testimony, stating that his condominium unit was assessed more than $100,000 higher than comparable neighboring units, which he described as inconsistent and unfair.

No Village officials provided testimony during the hearing. The role of the Village was limited to hosting the hearing location as required by state law.

What happens next

Paskey explained that the Department of Revenue will now begin an investigation into the uniformity and compliance of Fremont’s 2025 assessments. As part of that process, two state appraisers will review a limited sample of properties, including residential and commercial parcels, rather than conducting a full review of every property. Moving forward, Patrick Grabner, Supervisor of Equalization, will be heading up the investigation.

According to the Department of Revenue, findings from the investigation will roughly take three months to complete.

After completing its investigation, the Department of Revenue may:

• Dismiss the petition

• Deny the petition

• Order a supervised assessment or revaluation in a future year

• Order a full reassessment of all taxable property

Potential costs to the Village

If a full reassessment or supervised assessment is ordered, the cost would be borne entirely by the Village of Fremont. Such processes typically require hiring an assessor or assessment firm, which can involve door to door property inspections and significant administrative work.

These costs would reach tens of thousands of dollars and would be an unplanned municipal expense. In addition, all costs related to the Department of Revenue’s investigation, hearing process, report preparation, and supervision of any ordered assessment are also the responsibility of the municipality under state law. No current estimate was given.

However, the Department of Revenue noted that the reassessment investigation can be dismissed if the Village adopts a resolution to hire expert assessment help under Wisconsin Statute 70.055 and enters into a state-approved contract for either the 2026 or 2027 assessment year before an order is issued.

Reporting the findings

Once the Department of Revenue completes its investigation, a meeting will be scheduled with the Village Clerk, and the Village will be notified with next steps. The Village will then report the findings publicly, including any actions ordered by the state.

At this time, no decision has been made, and no changes to assessments or taxes result directly from the hearing itself.

If the State does decide the Village must do a full reassessment of all taxable property for 2025, the 2025 Village tax bills would have to be reprinted and amended.

Weyauwega Fremont News will continue to monitor this story.

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