Wisconsin Real Property Listers Association

A Real Property Lister (RPL) is responsible for keeping an accurate listing of all property in a county (village or city) and its ownership, as per SS 70.09.

In the performance of this job, an RPL must check title of both the divesting and receiving entity of every conveyance. This is to insure that whoever conveys land hast he right to do so. In the case of transfer of joint tenancy, the receiver's title must be checked for his actual joint tenancy status on the original deed. RPL's are not a court of law, nor do we intend to be. But our oversight of the title increases the taxpayer's assurance of his rights. If we, as expert lay-people can discern the intent of each transaction with clarity, then the public record is clear. The basis for recording ownership documents is to provide a public declaration of title rights to land. Public notification of ownership is the foundation of law. Therefore the RPL's ability to interpret the conveyance is the foundation of valid public record and ownership law.

An RPL must also check each conveyance for description validity. If the parcel cannot be traced on the ground by common survey methods - then it cannot be conveyed. Again we are not the court of law, and the title may very well be awarded to the grantee. The courts can decide intent when it is not obvious; however, without the RPL surveillance of conveyance descriptions, the grantee's investment could very well be jeopardized. The RPL is a guardian of the taxpayer.

Assessment values are not the RPL domain; however we participate in the assessment process. This dictates that we have an understanding of assessment laws and practices. An RPL must have the ability to interpret ownership requirements or restrictions as in

condominiums or other situations involving common elements or declarations of restrictions in ownership. Also, knowledge of tribal land laws and of other exempt institutions, clubs, or societies is required to safeguard the taxation system. This includes assuring, to the best of the RPL's ability, that all assessable land is valued and all exempt land is listed. Again, while not an "authority", we are the support and the insurance of citizen rights and that of the municipality's need to comply with uniform taxation.

The RPL also assists and participates in each municipality's process of apportionment, levy, and mill rating for the actual taxation of the land. This, too, is not our jurisdiction of duty, but an oversight function of this office. As the "middleman" of gathering the data and applying the formulas to create the individual tax statements and tax roll, we are the guardian of the process, and vital assistance to the multiple municipal clerks. Participation in the tax creation process allows us to direct the various components of the roll including keeping value and acreage totals in balance between the state and the municipality. We are the "grease" to the cogs in a very complicated system.

As far as client/taxpayer assistance we are the first and best portal of information. It is our function to place all the pieces of the puzzle together on the face of the earth. While surveys provide solid puzzle pieces, aliquot descriptions place parcels in relationship to the public land survey system, and the deed describes what piece of the puzzle is conveyed, it is only in the performance of our duty that the pieces are all placed together to form the tapestry of ownership in relation to place. Tax rolls are a year old at production, the Register of Deeds office is the storage facility of the record, survey records are pieces and bits filed or recorded. But the RPL records are the compilation of ALL the records making the final cadastre map whole. The assessment records, as maintained by the RPL, are also a vital foundation source for the parcel layer in Geographical Information System (GIS) activity. The Real Property Lister is also a major producer of products for the client/taxpayer marketplace. Lists of owners and attribute data are constantly being asked for and provided. The accurate records of the RPL information are the basis for Plat Book research and creation. The ownership lists; maintained by the RPL are the source for all mailing addresses of landowners for the entire county governmental system.

Since the inception of the job in the 1930's the RPL has served as an important component of the assessment/taxation process. The position was developed to correct the many errors on the assessment/tax rolls and to maintain the accuracy of ownership to legal description for taxation purposes for the future. Now, with the burgeoning technology of electronic data, GIS and the increasing recognition of our data as a foundation for other related data, our function has become ever more important. The heart of Land Records Modernization is the linking of data regarding parcels of land. The RPL's "list" is the support system for that linkage.

The Real Property Lister's job is ministerial in nature and function. Land information passes through our hands and is manipulated to produce products useable by the County, municipality, and most importantly the general public. We are the keepers of the Public Trust in one of the most complicated and confusing areas of government.

In summary the RPL guarantees the integrity of land information from the tax roll and the revenue it produces to all the attending functionality, availability and creation of a GIS.

The next time you hear "to create and maintain accurate lists of ownership and description" ... think again.