Town officials argue that many of the towns wooded parcels are too small to be sold under the town's Exclusive Agricultural Zoning ordinance, which mandates a 35 acre minimum size, and thus should be considered in a different category from other wooded land which has skyrocketed in value across northern Wisconsin. There are no recent sales of farm woods in the township to base values on, town officials argue. The Exclusive Agricultural Zoning does not shield Marathon's woods from higher taxable values, the DOR has responded. Romportl said that the town's local assessor Tom Olson has, as ordered by the department, completed required assessor training but that his most recent assessment efforts simply do not measure up. State law says that an assessment roll must be within ten percent of the DOR equalized value.
Townships have four years to bring assessments up to legal percentages.
It's been four years of non-compliance, said Romportl, and the 2000 town residential assessment is at only 84.7 percent of what the DOR says the fair market value is. The combined classes of swamp, waste, forest and farm buildings now stand at only 83.29 percent of the DOR's fair market value. The township was first notified by the DOR that its assessment was out of compliance on Oct. 31, 1997. The DOR official said that he has faith that his office's fair market value for the town is accurate. Romportl said that the Marathon Town Board must feel that the DOR's numbers are correct, as well, because its has never officially appealed the fair market value.