Assessing the GV Assessment

Bellevue wonders: How much will Brown County GV expansion cost? | greenbaypressgazette.com | Green Bay Press Gazette

But when he and his neighbors recently received an assessment estimate for the expansion of GV from Bellevue, he hit a breaking point. The 2009 fair market value of his two plots adjacent to the road totals just more than $360,000. His assessment is estimated to be a little more than $175,000.

On Wednesday, Bellevue's Village Board will vote on whether it prefers the stretch of road to be three or four lanes. Brown County's Planning, Development and Transportation committee will look at the issue on Aug. 23.

Both votes were delayed to wait for Bellevue to get a clearer look at the cost structure of the project.

The four-lane option would cost the road's 18 Bellevue property owners just more than $622,000, with three lanes estimated at $579,000.

"I can't hang on anymore," Kuzmic said. "I owe tax money and sewer and water.

"I'm just done. I'm not messing with it anymore."

All sides agree that County GV between Brown County G and Hoffman Road is in dire need of repair. But, while some will benefit from the construction, most owners along the stretch see that benefit as minimal.

Kuzmic has tried for years to develop his property but ran into numerous problems because it's a floodplain.

That means the traffic will cruise by, rather than stopping at new developments along the route.

"Ninety-nine percent of traffic never stops on the road," said resident Vic Hoffman. "There's not a direct benefit to us landowners for what they want to charge us."

I am loath to resort to the "F" word (fairness) in a policy debate, so I'll just say I don't believe there is any way that the small number of property owners along GV will accrue 50% of the economic benefit from its expansion. I think that is the case even if there were fewer impediments to development of that area. Though, if that were the case, this position would be less certain.

Anyone familiar with the area would likely suggest that the bulk of the benefit goes to residents of the far east side of De Pere and especially those in Ledgeview. Eventually, I would think that it would benefit future residents south of De Pere as well.