Legal Question in Real Estate Law in Wisconsin

In Jan 2011 A sleeve on the housing for my grinder pump was damaged. The system belongs to the village i live in. I reported it and was told not to worry about it until spring. In June 2012 the village replaced the whole sleeve and lid without my knowledge, crossed their information out on the bills and wrote my name in with a pen sent it to me and told me i had to pay it. i offered to pay $250.00 of the bill as they said as the homeowner I was responsible to get it fixed, which I had contacted someone to do and this was what it would have cost me. They had someone come onto my property replace the whole system without my knowledge and now have sent me a 1,068.00 bill and are threatening to sue me. I do not feel i should have to pay this when the item could be repaired for $250.00 and supposedly was up to me to do. Your opinion on this would be appreciated.


Asked on 10/28/11, 9:00 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
JAY Nixon nixon law offices

I do not know enough about your village and its taxing authority to answer your question, but, assuming that the village does have the authority to levy property taxes, the normal way to handle something like this would be via a special assessment which they would add on to your property tax bill, along with a long term repayment plant at fairly attractive interest rate. You might also wish to consider hiring an attorney to negotiate this matter, since you may have defenses to the amount charged if you have proof that your portion should only have cost 25% of the bill (with the balance being billed to other homeowners who benefited from the project). The lawyer might also advise you to wait for the village to sue you if a favorable deal cannot be negotiated, if he or she believes that you might do better in court.

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Answered on 10/28/11, 1:30 pm


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