History:
When the open landfills for refuse were banned, communities were forced to seek alternative ways of disposing their garbage and rubbish. In November of 1989 formative meetings chaired by Fred Janz of the Town of Barksdale were held with the chairmen of the Towns of Bayview, Eileen, Barksdale, Washburn and Pilsen to establish a garbage disposal plan, from which the Bay Area Solid Waste District was organized.  

Barksdale was chosen as the location, modeled after one in Boulder Junction, WI. Cement slabs were poured and an office/storage building was erected. Costs were assessed based upon each town's valuation for the purpose of construction at the new waste site and for purchasing a waste compactor. Soon after, a second compactor and a container for recyclables were needed to keep up with the demand for storage space. A container for paper and cardboard was also added on the site. Contracts were signed with the Chequamegon Waste Service of Ashland to empty the containers. 

In the fall of 2013, BASWD went to "single stream recycling" in which all recyclables are commingled at the compactor site. There is still no charge for paper with the exception of pizza boxes and shredded paper. All recyclables and trash must be placed in bags purchased from the site to help pay for the operations.  BASWD is largely funded by DNR grants and bag sales to residents.

Policy and Authorization Form

Make checks payable to:  
Town of Barksdale Treasurer
Mail payment to:
Town of Barksdale Treasurer
71730 Range Road
Ashland, WI  54806 

State law requires each municipality is within 10% of market value once every five years. The Wisconsin Department of Revenue determines the total value of each municipality annually based on an analysis of sale prices in comparison to present assessed values.  Typically, municipalities will re-assess all properties every 6-7 years to comply with the state law of being within 10 percent of market value. The Town of Barksdale is due to complete a revaluation in which all assessed values are updated to their current market value in 2027. 

When a revaluation is done, the assessor considers information from many sources to determine assessments. Recent arm’s length sale price is considered the best indicator of market value. An arm’s length sales is a sale between an informed buyer and seller that are not related and are acting in their own best interest. If there is not a recent sale on a property, the assessor uses information of sales of similar property in the area to determine assessed values. In cases where there has not been recent arm’s length sale of similar property the assessor then uses other information such as cost of construction to determine assessed value.

Properties that have similar characteristics including location, dwelling size, out buildings, age, quality of construction, acreage, amount of lake frontage (if any) should have similar assessed values. 

The assessment of agricultural land is not based on market value, per acre values are determined by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue and are typically significantly lower than the market value of the land. To qualify for agricultural use assessment the land must be devoted primarily to agricultural production. Agriculture buildings are values based on market value and not included in agricultural use assessment.

Property owners have the option to discuss their assessed value with the assessor by phone at any time or in person at the open book session. The open book is typically held in Spring at the Town Hall. Formal appeals can be made by property owners to the Board of Review which meets annually in Spring. Appeals to the Board of Review must be based on actual evidence that their specific property assessment is incorrect. Contact the Town Clerk or Assessor to find out when the specific meeting dates are scheduled.

More information regarding the assessment process can be found here: 2026 Guide for Property Owners