Packers property taxes take temporary dip

ASHWAUBENON - Land and buildings the Green Bay Packers own in Ashwaubenon are worth more than $1 million in taxes.

That is less than they were worth in 2014 because the Packers razed so many buildings, but it will be a temporary dip as the Titletown District comes on line. Just the three announced anchors plus other Phase 1 improvements for the 34-acre district probably will more than double the value of all the Packers' holdings. Continuing development will only increase the village tax base.

Taxes on the 64 parcels owned by the Packers totaled $938,946 in 2015, compared to $966,494 in 2014, a 2.85 percent decrease. The land was valued at $48.9 million in 2014, compared to $44.4 million in 2015.

The perception that the Packers don't owe taxes is prevalent enough that village president Mike Aubinger felt compelled to address the issue at the Jan. 21 open house on the Titletown District. He said it is one of the most common myths about the team.

"Yes, the Packers pay taxes on all property involved," he said.

The confusion no doubt stems from the Byzantine ownership structure for Lambeau Field, the Don Hutson Center and Clarke Hinkle and Ray Nitschke fields. The Packers own about one-third of the land under Clark Hinkle and Ray Nitschke fields, but none of the land under the Don Hutson Center, though they do own the facilities at each location and pay taxes totaling more than $100,000 on the improvements. The rest of the land is owned by Brown County and not subject to property taxes.

Lambeau Field is owned by the city of Green Bay and the Green Bay/Brown County Professional Football Stadium District and is exempt from property taxes.

Also clouding understanding might be that the Packers are a nonprofit organization. They are not, however, a tax-exempt, charitable nonprofit organization.

The value of 35 percent of Packers-owned parcels changed last year, with all but one receiving a lower value.

Property is reassessed as events, such improvements or the razing of buildings, change values, said Ashwaubenon assessor Michael Denor. All of Ashwaubenon was reassessed in 1999. Since then, revaluations are made as needed, which Denor calls market adjustments.

Denor said that for the Packers — pre-Titletown District at least — value is in the land, and land value is fairly constant. So when houses and buildings are torn down, that value goes away, but the land value doesn't much change.

What matters with land value in this part of the village is proximity to Lambeau Field, zoning and current or future potential use.

Land acquired by the Packers along Barberry Lane, much of which is now used as grass-and-gravel game-day parking, is worth more than nearby parcels farther from the stadium. For example, 2048 Barberry Lane, 0.246 acres, is valued at $391,463 an acre, but 2054 Barberry, 0.246 acres next door, is valued at $147,967 an acre. Their border marks a dividing line in neighborhoods as seen from an assessor's point of view.

Denor said assessors try to delineate neighborhoods to keep land value consistent.

"You try to establish neighborhoods as best you can," he said. "Location is paramount."

The Packers have not appealed assessments.

"They certainly look over their notices," he said. "We go over my decisions."

How much the Packers paid to acquire property is not relevant to assessed value, Denor said.

"They might have paid $300,000 for a house you and I'd pay $160,000 for," he said. "If similar lots are valued at $40,000, I have to keep it at $40,000."

RELATED:Titletown District neighbors weigh in

Property values changed on 22 of the Packers' 64 parcels. Here are some examples of changes:

» 2011 Barberry Lane, valued at $213,000 in 2014 and $250,700 in 2015. It was the only property owned by the Packers that increased in value last year. Denor said one reason was because Ashwaubenon vacated the street there, increasing the size of the lot.

» 2049 S. Ridge Road, assessed at $148,600 in 2014 and $32,800 in 2015. The Packers razed the house on the lot, and land in that area is valued in the $30,000 to $35,000 range. Changes occurred on about a dozen properties where the Packers removed houses.

» 1031 Lombardi Ave. and 1922 S. Ridge Road were the adjacent Mobil and Citgo stations immediately west of Lambeau Field. Their respective values are $347,000, down 45 percent, and $252,900, down 49 percent respectively.

» The value of the former Kmart, Burger King and Pomp's Tire properties in the Titletown District, all razed, decreased about 21 percent. The Big Lots property was 13 percent less. Denor said adjustments were made to those properties about five years ago, increasing the value of the land.

"All the land over there went up substantially. The value was in the land," he said.

Contact rryman@greenbaypressgazette.com and follow him on Twitter @RichRymanPG or on Facebook at Richard Ryman-Press-Gazette. Or call him at (920) 431-8342.