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Value losses are better than average
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MONROE - Green and Lafayette counties dropped less than the state average in equalized property values for 2012, according to an annual state report, released last month by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue.

The report showed the total statewide equalized property value as of Jan. 1, 2012, was $471 billion, 3.24 percent less than $487 billion the prior year.

Green County came in under the state average at just a 0.52 percent reduction in total equalized property value. The county lost about $13.7 million in total equity value, leaving it with $2.61 billion.

Lafayette County had a second year of a negligible gain, 0.2 percent, or $1.6 million, for a total equity value of $1 billion.

Equalization values were also down in surrounding counties. Rock County was down 2.23 percent, or $223 million, to leave it at $9.9 billion. Dane County was down 1.4 percent, or $684 million, to end at $49.5 billion. Iowa County was down 0.4 percent, or $7.3 million, to end at $1.9 billion.

Across the state value changes ranged from -8.6 percent in Green Lake County to 1.6 percent in Trempealeau County. The state average for counties was a 1.8 percent decrease.

Real estate

Green County land and improvement (real estate) values were down $15 million, about 0.59 percent, from the previous year. The $15 million loss was offset by $1.3 million in total added personal property value - mostly from machinery and tools.

The county's overall new construction was up $47.7 million.

Green County lost $42.3 million in total equity value last year, a 1.59 percent reduction, which left it at $2.63 billion. Real estate values were down 1.7 percent, or $43.1 million, while personal property was up by $8 million.

Lafayette County land dropped $5.6 million and improvements rose $6.6 million, for a net gain of $1 million in real estate value. The county had a $15.2 million gain in new construction.

Residential property

Wisconsin residential property was valued at $333 billion as of Jan. 1, a decrease of more than 4 percent, or $14 billion from $347 billion the prior year. Wisconsin residences dropped 1.6 percent, or $5.7 billion, in the prior year.

Green County total residential property was valued at $1.78 billion, a decrease of 1.4 percent, or $25.5 million. Last year, the county's residential value lost $47.8 million, or 2.58 percent, to end at $1.8 billion. New construction added $12.5 million last year.

In Lafayette County, total residential property value dropped 1.1 percent, or $5.6 million, to $509 million. The county saw more than $4.7 million in new construction. Last year residential property dropped 1.48 percent and settled at $514.9 million.

Commercial and manufacturing property

In Green and Lafayette counties, commercial and manufacturing property values for 2012 rose more than the previous year.

Land and improvements in commercial property in Green County rose to $301 million, up $5.3 million, or 1.8 percent, in equity value. Last year, commercial property was up $3.55 million, or 1.2 percent, ending at $295.9 million.

Green County's new construction value of $3.2 million in added commercial property is equal to the previous year, but economic changes added $2.4 million, double last year's amount. Other adjustments took away only $244,000.

In Lafayette County, commercial equity value rose to $103 million, up $5.7 million, or 5.9 percent, close to last year's increases.

Green County saw a 0.58 percent decrease in its manufacturing properties, down $439,000 to $75.3 million. Manufacturing property values rose by 2.5 percent last year, up $1.87 million, to $75.8 million.

Lafayette County lost 16.3 percent, or $3.2 million in manufacturing property value, wiping out almost $3.1 million in new manufacturing construction value gained last year. The county total manufacturing value now stands at $16.7 million. Last year, manufacturing rose by 15 percent, ending at nearly $20 million in total, after losing a half million dollars from economic and other changes.

Rural lands

Across the state, agricultural property was valued at $2.1 billion, a decline of 2.6 percent from a year earlier. Ag land was at $2.2 billion the previous year, following a 3.4 percent drop.

Green County agricultural land values decreased 2.50 percent, about $1.6 million, dropping from $61.5 million to $60 million in this year's report. It had dropped almost 4 percent last year, from $64.1 million.

Lafayette County ag land dropped 2.2 percent, about $1.6 million, from $72.4 million to $70.9 million. Ag land dropped 3.2 percent last year, down $2.5 million from $74.9 million.