OFFICIAL NOTICE OF BOARD OF CANVASSERS
TOWN OF MILTON, BUFFALO COUNTY, WISCONSIN
Notice is hereby given that the Board of Canvassers will meet on Monday, April 13, 2020 at the Milton Town Hall, S2794 State Rd 88, Fountain City, WI 54629 at 4:00 p.m.
This Meeting is open to the General Public pursuant to State Statutes 19.84.
Dated: April 9, 2020
Kalene Engel, Town Clerk
BOARD OF REVIEW NOTICE
TOWN OF MILTON
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Board of Review for the Town of Milton, Buffalo County, Wisconsin, shall hold its first meeting on the May 7, 2020 from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at Milton Town Hall, S2794 State Rd 88, Fountain City, WI 54629. An Open Book will be held at the same location on April 29, 2020 from 4:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.
Please be advised of the following requirements to appear before the board of review and procedural requirements if appearing before the board:
1. No person shall be allowed to appear before the board of review, to testify to the board by telephone, or to contest the amount of any assessment of real or personal property if the person has refused a reasonable written request by certified mail of the assessor to enter onto property to conduct an exterior view of such property being assessed.
2. After the first meeting of the board of review and before the board’s final adjournment, no person who is scheduled to appear before the board of review may contact or provide information to a member of the board about the person’s objection, except at a session of the board. Open book shall occur no less than 7 days prior to the board of review.
3. The board of review may not hear an objection to the amount or valuation of property unless, at least 48 hours before the board’s first scheduled meeting, the objector provides to the board’s clerk written or oral notice of an intent to file an objection, except that upon a showing of good cause and the submission of a written objection, the board shall waive that requirement during the first 2 hours of the board’s first scheduled meeting, and the board may waive that requirement up to the end of the 5th day of the session or up to the end of the final day of the session if the session is less than 5 days with proof of extraordinary circumstances for failure to meet the 48-hour notice requirement and failure to appear before the board of review during the first 2 hours of the first scheduled meeting.
4. Objections to the amount or valuation of property shall first be made in writing and filed with the clerk of the board of review within the first 2 hours of the board’s first scheduled meeting, except that, upon evidence of extraordinary circumstances, the board may waive that requirement up to the end of the 5th day of the session or up to the end of the final day of the session if the session is less than 5 days. The board may require such objections to be submitted on forms approved by the department of revenue, and the board shall require that any forms include stated valuations of the property in question. Persons who own land and improvements to that land may object to the aggregate valuation of that land and improvements to that land, but no person who owns land and improvements to that land may object only to the valuation of that land or only to the valuation of improvements to that land. No person shall be allowed in any action or proceedings to question the amount or valuation of property unless the written objection has been filed and that person in good faith presented evidence to the board in support of the objections and made full disclosure before the board, under oath of all of that person’s property liable to assessment in the district and the value of that property. The requirement that objections be in writing may be waived by express action of the board.
5. When appearing before the board of review, the objecting person shall specify in writing, the person’s estimate of the value of the land and of the improvements that are the subject of the person’s objection and specify the information that the person used to arrive at that estimate.
6. No person may appear before the board of review, testify to the board by telephone, or object to a valuation if that valuation was made by the assessor or the objector using the income method of valuation, unless no later than 7 days before the first meeting of the board of review the person supplies the assessor all the information about income and expenses, as specified in the assessor’s manual under s. 73.03 (2a), Wis. stats., that the assessor requests. The Town of Milton has an ordinance for the confidentiality of information about income and expenses that is provided to the assessor under this paragraph, which provides exceptions for persons using information in the discharge of duties imposed by law or the duties of their officer or by order of a court. The information that is provided under this paragraph, unless a court determined that it is inaccurate, is not subject to the right of inspection and copying under s. 19.35 (1), Wis. stats.
7. The board shall hear upon oath, by telephone, all ill or disabled persons who present to the board a letter from a physician, surgeon, or osteopath that confirms their illness or disability. No other persons may testify by telephone unless the Board, in its discretion, has determined to grant a property owner’s or their representative’s request to testify under oath by telephone or written statement.
8. No person may appear before the board of review, testify to the board by telephone, or contest the amount of any assessment unless, at least 48 hours before the first meeting of the board, or at least 48 hours before the objection is heard if the objection is allowed under. S.7047(3)(a), Wis. Stats., that person provides to the clerk of the board of review notice as to whether the person will ask for the removal of a member of the board of review and, if so, which member, and provides a reasonable estimate of the length of time the hearing will take.
Notice is hereby given this 9th day of April, 2020 by Kalene Engel, Town Clerk
The Town of Milton has been certified as a Telecommuter Forward! Community by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin. The Telecommuter Forward! designation recognizes local units of government that have meet criteria for promoting telecommuting opportunities in partnership with broadband providers, economic development professionals, and the Wisconsin Broadband Office. For more information, please visit https://psc.wi.gov/Pages/Programs/TelecommuterForward.aspx
The Wisconsin Public Service Commission just UNANIMOUSLY approved the Cochrane Cooperative Telephone Company application for the Town of Milton Broadband Expansion!
It was the number 1 ranked application in the state, out of 78 applications, as ranked by the staff of the Public Service Commission, and was fully funded for the amount requested.
For more information, and to access the staff memo and rankings, please visit http://apps.psc.wi.gov/…/eventscalend…/content/EAgenda.aspx…
Go to Item 10 on the Public Agenda and click to access the attachments.
Town of Milton, Buffalo County has been certified as a Broadband Forward community by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin which distinguishes the township as supportive of increased broadband access by taking steps to reduce obstacles for private and public investment.
Governor Scott Walker signed The Broadband Forward! Community certification bill into law as 2015 Act 287.
“Town of Milton, Buffalo County is a great example of a rural Wisconsin community working hard to ensure their community is connected,” said Governor Scott Walker. “It’s an important stepping stone into further broadband expansion and economic development.”
“Expanding broadband is critical to Town of Milton, Buffalo County and we need to take all the steps we can to reduce the hurdles for deployment of additional infrastructure,” said (insert name of municipal leader). “Our Broadband Forward certification sends the signal that we’re serious about working with broadband providers to extend service.”
“The State Broadband Office at the Public Service Commission stands ready to serve as a resource to communities and providers looking to maximize broadband infrastructure investments in Wisconsin—with the goal of bringing broadband service to every corner of our state,” Walker said.
To assist in the expansion of broadband in Wisconsin, Governor Walker created the Broadband Expansion Grant Program in the 2011-2013 biennial budget. In 2015, Governor Walker and the Legislature tripled the amount of funding for broadband expansion grants to $1.5 million annually; with a total of $6 million allocated from the Universal Service Fund cash reserves, to fund grants over a 4-year period. “Our current budget allocates a historic $35.5 million in additional spending for broadband expansion efforts via the expansion grant program and TEACH grants,” said Walker.
“In addition to these significant and flexible public-private grants, a six-year, $570 million federal program is providing funding to expand rural broadband access in Wisconsin,” said Walker. “Any improvement in the speed and efficiency of these investments, such as that provided by the Broadband Forward! Community Program, will make a significant difference in Wisconsin.”