Determining benefits and damages
Wis. Stat. § 32.57
in effect(1) Resolution. After approving the plan under s. 32.55 (2), the common council may adopt a resolution directing the board to determine the damages to be paid for property condemned and the benefits to be assessed against property benefited within the benefit district. The board shall include the cost of all property acquired by purchase or condemnation for the improvement, as well as the cost of physical improvements that are approved under s. 32.55 (2), in the assessment of benefits and shall report its findings to the common council.
(2) Exempt property. The board may not assess benefits against any property:
(a) Owned exclusively by the federal government.
(b) Included in a tax certificate previously issued under s. 74.57.
(c) Owned exclusively by or held in trust exclusively for this state, if exempt from taxation. Land contracted to be sold by this state is not exempt from assessment. State land that is part of a pedestrian mall under s. 62.71 is exempt from assessment only if it is held or used exclusively for highway purposes. State payment of assessments against a pedestrian mall is governed by s. 66.0705 (2).
(d) Owned or occupied rent free exclusively by any county, city, village, town, school district or free public library.
(e) Used exclusively for public parks, boulevards or pleasure drives by any city or village.
(f) Owned by a military organization as a public park or memorial ground and not used for profit.
(g) Owned by any religious, charitable, scientific, literary, educational or benevolent association, incorporated historical society or public library association or by any fraternal society, order or association operating under the lodge system if the property is used not for profit or lease exclusively for the purposes of the association and is necessary for the location and convenience of the buildings of the association. This paragraph does not apply to any university, college or high school fraternity or sorority. Property reserved for a chartered college or university is exempt from assessment. Leasing buildings owned by associations listed in this paragraph for schools, public lectures, concerts or parsonage does not waive this exemption from assessment.
(h) Owned by any corporation formed solely to encourage the fine arts without capital stock and paying no dividends or profits to its members.
(i) Under any endowment or trust for the benefit of a state historical society.
(j) Owned and used exclusively by any state or county agricultural society or by any corporation or association for the encouragement of industry by agricultural and industrial fairs and exhibitions or for exhibition and sale of agricultural and dairy stock, products and property. Real property exempt under this paragraph may not exceed 80 acres. The corporation or association may permit use of this property as places of amusement.
(k) Owned or operated for cemetery purposes by any cemetery authority, as defined in s. 157.061 (2), including any building located in the cemetery and owned and occupied exclusively by the cemetery authority for cemetery purposes or any property held under s. 157.064 or 157.11.
(L) Used as a children’s home.
(m) On which a Wisconsin national guard armory is located.
(n) Of any public art gallery to which the public has free access not less than 3 days per week.
(o) Of any religious organization, up to 320 acres, used as a home for the mentally ill, as defined in s. 51.01 (13).
(p) On which is located a memorial hall to members of the armed forces, owned by the Grand Army of the Republic, the Women’s Relief Corps, the Sons of Veterans, the United Spanish War Veterans, the American Legion or the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
(q) Owned and used exclusively by any collective bargaining unit established under ch. 111.
(r) Owned and used exclusively by any farmers’ organization.
(s) Owned by the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America.
(t) Owned by an incorporated turner society and used exclusively for educational purposes.
(3) Preliminary hearing.
(a) After the city adopts a resolution under sub. (1), the board shall publish a class 3 notice under ch. 985 that at a specified time and place the board shall meet to hear the testimony of any interested party regarding the benefits or damages resulting from the proposed improvement. The notice shall also briefly describe the general nature of the proposed improvement for which the assessment of benefits and damages is to be made and the general boundary line of the benefit district.
(b) At least 12 days before the hearing the board shall commence publishing the class 3 notice and mail a copy of the notice to the last-known mailing address of any owner of property that may be damaged or benefited by the proposed improvement. The board shall also mail a copy of the notice to a mortgagee of each parcel of property affected by damages. Failure of these notices to reach an owner or mortgagee does not invalidate the assessment of benefits or damages.
(c) The board shall hold the preliminary hearing for at least 3 successive days, Sundays and legal holidays excluded, at which it shall hear testimony and consider evidence on the damages and the benefits resulting from the proposed improvement. Following the testimony, the board shall appraise the damages to property to be condemned by the proposed improvement. The board shall add the damages, the estimated expense of the proposed improvement and the cost of the proceedings and shall apportion the total cost among the property benefited in proportion to the benefits resulting from the proposed improvement. The board shall reduce its assessment of benefits to real property remaining of a larger parcel from which a portion has been given or dedicated for use as part of the proposed improvement by the reasonable value of the real property given or dedicated.
(4) Tentative assessment of benefits and damages. The damages appraised under sub. (3) (c) are the compensation to all owners of the property. The board shall state separately the assessment of benefits to each piece of property. The board shall balance the appraisal of damages against any assessment of benefits to remaining property and record the difference.
(5) Review hearing.
(a) After tentatively assessing benefits and damages under sub. (4), the board shall commence publishing a class 3 notice under ch. 985 stating that the tentative assessment is complete and will be open for review at a certain time and place. The notice shall also include the information required under sub. (3) (a).
(b) At least 18 days before the review hearing the board shall publish the notice and shall mail a copy of the notice as specified in sub. (3) (b). Failure of these notices to reach an owner or mortgagee does not invalidate the assessment of benefits and damages.
(c) The board shall hold the review hearing for at least 2 days, at which it shall hear testimony and consider evidence on the amount of benefits and damages assessed.
(d) Following the review hearing the board shall review the testimony and evidence received and determine its final assessment of benefits and damages. The board shall list its final assessment of benefits and damages separately and shall also list the difference between the benefits and damages to each parcel of property, so that the owner pays or receives only the difference. The board shall report its final assessment in writing to the common council.
(6) Common council hearing.
(a) The common council shall record the date the final assessment report is submitted under sub. (5) (d) in its journal with a brief statement describing for what purpose and in what general locality the assessment has been made. The common council may not act upon the report until the day after the report’s submission.
(b) The common council may confirm the assessment or remand the assessment to the board for revision and correction. If the common council remands the assessment to the board, the board shall review, correct and revise the assessment by holding a public hearing and providing notice of the hearing under sub. (3), reappraising damages and benefits under sub. (4) and allowing review of the revised assessment under sub. (5). The common council shall hear the revised assessment under this subsection. If the common council fails to confirm the assessment or remand the assessment to the board for revision and correction, it shall adopt a resolution terminating the project. Termination does not prevent the city from including the same property in a subsequent public improvement that involves the same or another municipal purpose.
(7) Records.
(a) After confirming the assessment under sub. (6) (b) the common council shall deliver a certified copy of the assessment to both the city treasurer and the city comptroller.
(b) The city attorney shall record with the register of deeds the resolution confirming the assessment of benefits and damages together with a description of the property to be condemned and the map showing the location of the condemned property. The assessment of benefits and damages need not be recorded with the register of deeds.
Source: WI Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/statutes/32.57Fetched: 10/7/2026