Does a Higher Assessment Mean Higher Taxes?

JUNEAU, Wis. — Dodge County Treasurer Kris Keith said taxpayers with higher 2026 property assessments have been contacting the Treasurer’s Office with concerns about how much their December tax bills will increase.

“Many municipalities are conducting revaluations, and taxpayers are receiving a Notice of Changed Assessment in their mailboxes,” Keith said.

Although 2026 property tax bills cannot be calculated until late November, after the Wisconsin Department of Revenue releases final figures, Keith said a higher assessment does not necessarily mean a higher tax bill.

During a revaluation, property assessments are adjusted to reflect current market values. When assessments increase across a municipality, the municipality’s total assessed value also increases, creating a larger tax base over which the local tax levy is distributed.

This means an increase in a property’s assessed value does not automatically result in a proportional increase in the property owner’s tax bill. Instead, the assessment determines the property owner’s share of the overall tax burden within the municipality.

Property tax bills are also affected by the tax levies established by municipalities, school districts, technical college districts and counties. In many cases, increases in property taxes are the result of changes to those levies rather than changes in an individual property’s assessment.

A revaluation is required when a municipality’s assessment ratio — the relationship between assessed value and market value — falls outside the statutory range of 90% to 110%. The purpose of a revaluation is to bring property assessments back in line with current market values and ensure taxes are apportioned uniformly and fairly among property owners.

“We have some excellent information about property assessments, revaluations and property taxes available on the Treasurer’s Taxpayers webpage,” Keith said.

Taxpayers can learn more about property assessments, revaluations and property taxes on the Dodge County Treasurer’s Taxpayers webpage.