THE GREAT SUPERIOR SHOCKING TAX SWINDLE PT 4
JIMMY SCANDAL
SCANDAL-BAND
HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?
715. THE GREAT SUPERIOR SHOCKING TAX SWINDLE is Superior’s biggest story of 2024 in my opinion. I tried to find every article I could and create a timeline to try and figure it all out. Let’s pick it up from the last Blog.
DECEMBER 19, 2024
716-Once again Angie Sapik puts out another Facebook Post. And it’s a good one. Here it is:
Former WI State Rep. Angie Sapik
Representative Angie Sapik Advocates for Flexible Property Tax Payment Plan for Superior Residents
Lake Nebagamon, WI – In light of the recent property tax assessments that have impacted residents across our community, Representative Angie Sapik is calling for support to help alleviate the financial burden on Superior residents. Recognizing the challenges and concerns that have arisen, Rep. Sapik is proposing a local ordinance to create a more flexible payment plan for property taxes.
"Everyone has felt the impact of these property tax assessments,” said Rep. Sapik. "Elected officials from both sides of the aisle need to band together to find our way through this and help residents."
Rep. Sapik is proposing an ordinance that would allow Superior residents to make monthly installments on their property taxes through January 31, 2026. This flexible payment plan aims to provide much-needed relief and ensure that residents can manage their financial obligations without undue stress.
In addition to the flexible payment plan, Rep. Sapik is urging the city of Superior to consider implementing a policy of no penalties for late payments through January 31, 2026. This measure would further support residents by giving them the time and flexibility needed to meet their tax obligations without the added pressure of penalties.
"We have to prioritize the well-being of our residents and provide them with the support they need during these challenging times and come up with solutions that are helpful," added Rep. Sapik. “Having property assessments for the first time in 19 years has led to a disastrously inflated tax bill. State law mandates that properties are assessed at a minimum every five years and Superior failed to do this for almost two decades. Trying to alleviate 2025 taxes does nothing for the city of Superior right now. We need payment options to help people through this immediate issue, and I look forward to hearing from the city council on this or an amended ordinance to do just that.”
Rep. Sapik encourages everyone to reach out to their council members and urges them to write and support an ordinance that would alleviate penalties and payment due dates. Superior City Council member contact information listed below:
Nicholas Ledin, 1st District - South End ledinn@superiorwi.gov
Jenny Kiks.ádi Van Sickle, 2nd District VanSicklej@superiorwi.gov
Garner Moffat, 3rd District – Midtown moffatg@superiorwi.gov
Jack Sweeney, 4th District – East End sweeneyj@superiorwi.gov
Brent Fennessey, 5th District - Uptown fennesseyb@superiorwi.gov
Tylor Elm, 6th District – Downtown elmt@superiorwi.gov
Ruth Ludwig, 7th District – University ludwigr@superiorwi.gov
Mike Herrick, 8th District - West Superior herrickm@superiorwi.gov
Mark Johnson, 9th District - Billings Park johnsonmark@superiorwi.gov
Lindsey Graskey, 10th District - North End graskeyl@superiorwi.gov
AND AFTER THAT POST SHE GAVE AN UPDATE
UPDATE:
I've been working with a City Council member and we discovered a couple of things. First, the city can write an ordinance that decreases the penalties and can create a ten month payment plan. Unfortunately, the deadline for the creation and passing of this ordinance would have been August 15th, 2024.
I have also been talking with the county about reducing penalties for the 2024 billing cycle, or at a minimum delaying any penalty until the final due date in January 2025.
Douglas County is already charging the minimum state statue mandatory 1%. There is no ability to reassess the taxes for this cycle, as the penalties are already as low as the state allows.
Also, the 45 day appeal period for requesting a re-assessment has expired. There are brick walls everywhere we turn on this thing.
I want to remind everyone that the county is the collector, not the assessor. I know this is difficult, but I encourage everyone to still treat county workers with respect as we work through this.
I wish I had better news, everyone. I called everyone in the state that I thought could help and just keep coming up with more bad news.
COMMENTS
While I do have an issue with Angie, which I will talk about in a Blog at a later date, I do agree with most of her positions including her post. She has at least put out several ideas which is more than Jim Paine has done. She deserves credit for that. All he has been doing is running around trying to save his sad political ass. And all these things that Angie put out were thwarted by government. The same government that at one point passed these laws, deadlines etc. Well, why can’t they change them then? They could if they wanted to. And they wonder why we hate them.
HERE ARE SOME COMMENTS PEOPLE LEFT ON HER POST
1-Someone within the county hired that Assessor. So the buck still stops there! Someone should have double checked the accuracy of the assessments. Again that falls on the county. The road blocks you speak of were set there for a reason. The people working in the county offices knowingly screwed over the citizens of this county. That's a fact!
2-Wouldn't it help the residents more if the mill rate was also reduced so the taxes match what they used to pay.
This comment below is one of my favorites
3-Jerry Paine hear me out….. I give her the credit for doing SOMETHING about this. I fully understand the mayor is your family, I understand sticking up for family because that is what family does and kudos to you. The big problem is that why are you fighting all of his battles when for the last couple days he has not said ONE word. Also, in august he said taxes would not be raised that much at all, does that not contradict what happened? Also, on a previous post I asked for clarification because I did not understand and was polite about it.. and crickets. I don’t understand how you can come out with these comments is it just because they are against your brother or do you do this for everyone, to put people down and belittle them? Yes, I voted for your brother previously and thought he would do good things for the city and as time goes on it gets worse and worse….. I know you despise me and that’s ok, but I don’t know Angie at all but at least she is doing SOMETHING! She is doing more than anyone from the city council that I have seen, credit to her absolutely. If you are going to sit there and talk mad shit then please keep doing it because it is laughable honestly. Please continue drinking your kool aid and being the big defender for your brother and sister in laws actions, while you are doing that I hope you can see Tower ave from space because according to your sister in law you can. She also is quite amazing at telling cops how to do their jobs…. Recordings of meetings don’t lie… Happy holidays.
DECEMBER 20, 2024
Here is an article from our friends at soupnutz.net
SoupNutz Episode 12: Unwrapping Tax Hikes A Satirical Look at Corporate Welfare and Budget Mismanagement
Twas’ the Night Before Tax Hikes
In this episode of Soupnutz, we unwrap the gift no one asked for: skyrocketing taxes and a city budget that reads like a billionaire’s wish list. Through a snarky twist on ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, we spotlight how Superior’s mayor and his rubber-stamping councilors are shifting the tax burden from big business to hardworking residents. From Walmart’s $37,000 tax cut to the vague “potential projects” piling on millions in debt, this episode roasts the fiscal mismanagement with a sharp, satirical edge. It’s a laugh-so-you-don’t-cry take on the reality of living in a city where Santa skips the little guy and delivers straight to corporate doorsteps.
Walmart Superior 2023 Taxes and 2024 Taxes $36,987.04 or 15.12% Decrease
Menards Superior 2023 Taxes and 2024 Taxes $40,413.27 or 21.59% Decrease
STAMP OF APPROVAL
DECEMBER 20, 2024
Another post from Angie Sapik. She posted a link to a post from Senator Romaine Robert Quinn. Here it is:
The School District of Superior sent out a communication to local families claiming that their recently increased property value assessments and new tax liabilities are due to the state intentionally reducing state aid locally. This statement is inaccurate and does not include other important factors facing Superior residents.
You can read my full statement below.
Senator Quinn Calls On Superior School District To Share Full Story
Quinn Asks for Transparency on Equalization Aid and Property Taxes.
MADISON, WI -- Senator Romaine Robert Quinn responded to a letter sent out by the School District of Superior this week regarding property tax notices. Quinn’s letter provides context missing from the district’s initial communication and asks that all information be provided to the parents, taxpayers, and media outlets that were initially contacted by the district.
The full text of the letter is as follows:
December 20, 2024 School District of Superior 3025 Tower Avenue Superior, WI 54880 Re: Letter on property tax statement
Dear District Administrator Starzecki and Business Director See:
In recent days Superior residents have expressed questions regarding the increased property taxes across the city and school district. As we know, the Superior School District’s referendum to increase property taxes passed in November. I assume this is why many individuals have contacted the district with concerns. It was good of you to address the issue with a letter, though I believe there are some misleading comments included in your correspondence.
The discussion on equalization aid is a complex topic and it is not accurate to say that the state is not maintaining the amount of Equalization Aid, or that it has “been intentional in pushing this expense onto property owners.” The legislature has actually added more money into Equalization Aid, but as you know, this is a closed system and aid is distributed based on a formula to schools around the state. From the 2016-17 school year to the 2024-25 school year, the state has increased general school aids by 22%, or approximately $1 billion.
Superior School District saw a decrease in funding in this category in part because the district membership dropped by almost 6% in the 2024-25 school year and has been on a downward trend with the exception of the 2022-23 school year. In the 2023-24 school year, the district was at 79.57% state support with local property taxpayers contributing the other 20.43% when calculating the cost of education and all funds received. This ranked Superior 52nd out of the state’s 421 school districts for total state assistance, and it is a higher percentage of state aid compared to your neighboring districts of Maple, Webster, Northwoods, Solon Springs, South Shore, Drummond, and Hayward.
Property taxes are levied by municipalities, school districts, and technical colleges – all of which receive significant state aids in addition to the property tax revenues that they levy. You noted that the city reassessed the values of all homes, but it is my understanding that the city has not done a city-wide revaluation in 19 years, which may contribute to the sticker shock that residents are seeing. The last state budget reduced property taxes below what Governor Evers proposed, while also funding the largest investment in education in state history. Governor Evers’s partial veto power will enable school boards to increase property taxes every year for the next 400 years.
I believe your letter to families in the school district has misled them on some of the real reasons why property taxes have increased to this degree. If you had wanted to provide full clarity, you would have included more detail on the components that go into Equalization Aid and the impact of your decreasing membership. I would appreciate you sharing this information with the parents, taxpayers, and media outlets you communicated with in your initial letter so that they have all of the information before them.
As you plan to urge residents to advocate at the state level, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly if you would like to have a serious discussion on how to help our northern Wisconsin schools succeed, even in instances of declining enrollment.
Sincerely,
Romaine Robert Quinn, State Senator, Wisconsin’s 25th Senate District
COMMENTS
A lot people on social media have done a lot of finger pointing at the School District for their large tax increases. I have to say I am not well versed when it comes to the School District. It’s not something I’ve followed over the years. But I will say this, which I’ve said on a previous Blog. If you close a school and enrollment is down why are taxes up? Hopefully the Senator can get some answers for you.
DECEMBER 20, 2024
PALACEBARTRUTH.COM
PUBLISHES
THE GREAT SUPERIOR SHOCKING TAX SWINDLE PT 1
DECEMBER 25, 2024
HANNAH BANANA
ME
It’s Christmas day, my wife is in England visiting my daughter, so it’s just me and my sidekick Hannah Banana. Last night I picked up a “to go” turkey dinner order. 16.00 bucks. Turkey slices with gravy, dressing, mashed potatoes and green beans. So today I took it out of the styrofoam box, threw it on a plate and put in the microwave for 5 minutes. Perfect, Hannah and I are good to go.
MY ACTUAL TURKEY DINNER
So next on the agenda is to go on my computer, bring up the Mayor’s Facebook page and read the Sage of Superior’s heartfelt Christmas message. Even though he didn’t wish us a Happy Indigenous People Day or Thanksgiving Day this year, I suspect he was working hard, as usual, figuring out ways to bring down our property taxes. Because don’t forget what the mayor said:
”Because we help citizens. That is our only purpose. When citizens, businesses, or developers need help, we do everything we can”.
Guess what? No Dec 25th post. I’m not feeling the love. But again I think he spent the day working on ways to bring our taxes down don’t you think? And I’m sure many, and I mean many Superior residents had the Mayor in their thoughts this Christmas. And if he had of posted something, it might have looked like the picture below:
DECEMBER 27, 2024
OK, I’m better now. It’s been almost 2 weeks since this story broke. You’ve read stories from many contributors. But 2 are missing. And considering this is the biggest story of the year in Superior based on social media, that’s a big miss. So who would that be? Well none other than the Superior Telegram and the Duluth News Tribune. That’s right, not one article on this story since it broke on Dec. 14th. Everyday I go on their websites and yep, nothing. And today is no exception. So today, I went on the Duluth News Tribune’s e-paper and this is what I saw:
Yep, she’s back and bigger than ever.
Front page of the Tribune Dec 27
You can imagine the shock and dismay I felt when I saw this on the front page. First off, the size of the article is like a supersized half page and her picture is about 50% larger than the same article that ran in the Superior Telegram on Dec 20th. I didn’t expect to see a giant sized picture of that snout on page 1.
As I said on Blog 78,”I don’t care about her new venture.” I’ll put it to you this way. I would eat my shit through a dirty sock before I would eat anything from her cafe. After that, I would eat the sock for dessert.
But my shock and dismay is really not about the two articles they ran on her new venture. It’s the fact that they both have not ran any articles about the tax increases yet. And they never ran any stories about her and the Mayor colluding to shut down the Palace based on false and misleading information.
DECEMBER 27, 2024
I spoke too soon. Almost 2 weeks after the tax scandal started and 2 articles on Melissa Hyatt’s new venture, the Tehran Telegram AKA Superior Telegram ran this article:
By Maria Lockwood - Superior Telegram
SUPERIOR — A citywide revaluation of property in Superior, coupled with a school levy increase, left some taxpayers feeling less festive this holiday season.
On average, city property values increased 60%; residential properties increased by 70%.
Taxes on some properties increased sharply while others that had been assessed closer to their market value before the citywide revaluation decreased. The larger the percentage increase in assessed value, the more taxes increased.
“The impact to the tax bill was unique to each property,” Superior Mayor Jim Paine said.
The purpose of reassessing property values is to reflect the price a property would likely sell for in the real estate market and distribute the tax burden fairly and equitably among the taxable properties in the municipality.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, revaluations are required when assessments are no longer within 10% of the full value once every five years. Between 2005 and 2020, the average assessment ratio in Superior hovered between 90% and 100%, but dropped to 82% in 2021 and continued to fall to 63% before the revaluation this year.
Double whammy
Not only were city residents facing new assessments based on fair market value, but they also were facing a new reality when it comes to taxation.
While the city tax levy decreased by about $22,000 and Douglas County’s levy increased by only about $72,000, taxes to support the Superior School District jumped by $3.6 million.
Paine said it’s fairly normal to see property tax increases in the tens of thousands, but not in the millions.
Voters allowed the school district to increase its tax levy for operational purposes by $2.5 million. Other district taxes, which are determined by state formulas, increased as well. At the same time, the state cut about $2.7 million in equalization aid and pushed that funding burden over onto the local property taxpayers.
“Superior School District saw a decrease in funding ... because the district membership (enrollment) dropped by almost 6% in the 2024-25 school year, and has been on a downward trend with the exception of the 2022-2023 school year,” state Sen. Romaine Quinn, R-Cameron, wrote in a letter to district officials about the equalization aid. He noted that Superior receives a higher percentage of aid than school districts in Maple, Webster, Northwood, Solon Springs, South Shore, Drummond and Hayward.
Equalization aid is tied to both enrollment numbers and property values, according to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
The effect of the operational referendum approved by voters in November can be seen on the bottom of the tax bill, above the payment stubs. That area contains information on voter-approved temporary tax increases. The one that ends in 2029 is the operational referendum that passed in November. The one that ends in 2037 is for Superior High School and Cooper Elementary building projects approved by voters in 2016.
If the operational referendum amount is higher than the $4 per $100,000 of property value the school district had advertised, David See, the district’s director of business services, said it’s because the city reassessment increased that property’s value more compared to the rest of the property in the district. Conversely, he said, there are properties that are paying significantly less than $4 per $100,000.
Timeline
The rising cost of housing in Superior led to the citywide revaluation.
“State law requires our assessments to remain close to fair market value. If they stray too far for too long, we must do a citywide revaluation,” Paine said. He said as long as there are no more massive market fluctuations, the city should be fine for some time.
“I would also point out that if housing values suddenly fell ... we would do this again but with the opposite effect,” Paine said.
The city assessor’s office and Associated Appraisal Consultants conducted the 2024 revalue assessment, which determines what portion of the city, county and school budgets people pay to the county treasurer for their collection of taxes in 2025, according to City Assessor Terry Johnson.
Assessments completed in 2024 were based on sales that occurred in 2023 and prior.
“We are required to be assessed at 90 to 110% for compliance by the Department of Revenue. As it is not an exact calculation, anything within that range is acceptable,” Johnson said.
The Douglas County treasurer takes the budgets as calculated from the city, county and school districts and divides the taxes up based on each taxpaying unit in that jurisdiction, Johnson said. The county gets divided up by all the towns and villages. Each school district is divided up between the villages, towns and cities that are within its boundaries. The technical college is handled the same way, but spread over a larger area.
Open Book notices were mailed in August for the city’s Board of Review, which was held in October. Johnson said roughly 300 — less than 3% of all taxable property owners — contacted the city assessor’s office or Associated Appraisal Consultants for a review.
“With the 2024 tax base set at the Board of Review Oct. 2 for the city, there can be no changes to anyone’s assessment this year,” Johnson said. “The public can certainly watch for the public notice next year when we have the Board of Review sometime in May or June 2025.”
The city does not mail out notices in a typical year unless additional changes have been made to a property’s assessment or classification.
“If anyone would like to discuss their value, they can call us later in April or May 2025,” Johnson said.
Property records can be reviewed online at www.superiorwi.gov/65/Assessor. Property record information is found lower on that page with the link to assessordata.org. Enter the address or parcel number to see a property record.
Superior City Councilor Jenny Van Sickle, who represents the 2nd District, said she has been sitting down with concerned constituents to go over their tax bills line by line. She encouraged everyone to look at the details and ask questions.
“I do encourage everyone to reach out to their elected officials,” Van Sickle said.
City residents can email questions and documents to Taxbill@superiorwi.gov, which goes directly to the mayor and city assessor.
“At this time, people should make sure they have a lottery credit on your tax bill if they are owner-occupied,” Johnson said. “The other thing you can do is apply with your Wisconsin income taxes for the lottery credit. This is income based and they do look at what you are paying for property taxes.”
Tax bills — or at least the first installment — are due Jan. 31; second installments are due by July 31. When reached by phone for comment, Douglas County Treasurer Amy Tyson declined to outline tax payment options. She said they follow state statute.
According to the county’s website, taxpayers who don’t pay the full first installment by Jan. 31 will accrue 1% interest monthly on the unpaid balance. Paine encouraged residents to call the treasurer’s office at 715-395-1348 to find out what options are available.
COMMENTS
Very disappointing. Nothing much new here at all. After being last to the table I would have expected more. But I’ll break it down.
#1
1-The article was about 1/5th of the page. Melissa Hyatt’s new venture article a week earlier was 1/2 a page. Front page picture for this article: 0. Pictures for Melissa Hyatt’s article: 2 and both in color as well. Conclusion: Fake News.
#2
“The impact to the tax bill was unique to each property,” Superior Mayor Jim Paine said.
MY TAKE
Yes some went up 20%, some went up 50% and some went up 100%, I must say.
#3
Paine said it’s fairly normal to see property tax increases in the tens of thousands, but not in the millions.
MY TAKE
This from the man who said it really shouldn’t affect your taxes.
#4
“I would also point out that if housing values suddenly fell ... we would do this again but with the opposite effect,” Paine said.
MY TAKE
He might be right, but how many cities have done re-evaluations during a down market? I personally have never seen that done in my lifetime.
#5
I found that the article was mostly a compilation of all the articles from other news outlets and ones contributors made. But who did this scandal affect the most? You the taxpayers and you, the renters. You are the ones who will be affected by this. And they did not have a word from any of you in this article. They should have had many of your comments about how you are dealing with it. And what about tough questions for the Mayor on how this all happened and his “it shouldn’t affect your taxes” remarks. And by the way the Duluth News Tribune did not pic up this story. It did pic up Melissa Hyatt’s new venture story. Conclusion: More Fake News.
SO WHERE TO WE GO FROM HERE?
On the next Blog we will discuss that as well as a full recap of THE GREAT SUPERIOR SHOCKING TAX SWINDLE and what you can do about it. And we will point some fingers.
NOW THAT THIS BLOG IS DONE I’M GOING TO HAVE A DRINK. THANKS FOR READING AND I’LL SEE YOU SOON. BRIAN
