Owners of the 90 aircraft hangers at Waukesha County’s Crites Field can on average expect to pay twice as much in personal property taxes for this year as they did in 2008, creating confusion and concern as owners brace for hefty tax increases on their personal property.

The City of Waukesha Assessor’s Office determined this summer that the total value of the airport hangars increased 98%, according to city and county records.

Airport figures show the 2008 value of hangars was $9.7 million. Through reassessment, the value climbed to $17.5 million. The city portion of increased tax revenue would be about $71,000, Waukesha Finance Director Steve Neaman said.

That figure is dependent on passage this year of the projected tax rate of $8.95 per $1,000 of assessed value, he said.

That figure does not include gains to other taxing entities, such as schools and Waukesha County.

“I know they’re not happy,” City Assessor Paul Klauck said of the owners. “We feel that the values are fair. They’re going to pay a lot more in taxes, but last year they we’re paying a lot below what the hangars were actually worth.”

Mike Crowley, chairman of the Waukesha County Airport Commission, said he would talk to County Executive Dan Vrakas Wednesday to see what could be done to ease the tax burden of the reassessments.

The value of one hangar increased 479%, from $36,680 last year to $175,820 this year. Using past and projected tax rates, the annual tax bill for that hangar climbs from $327 to about $1,558.

Crowley said he wants to know if payments for the tax increases could be spread over a number of years, instead of paying in one year.

Klauck said he did not think state law would allow it.

Crowley said in a recent interview he fears the large reassessments could drive corporate and recreational air traffic away from the airport, a facility that’s already experiencing a downturn in use due to the bad economy, airport officials say.

“Depending on what Vrakas says, it will determine the commission’s future course of action,” Crowley said, adding that he’s not sure if all owners know about the tax increases.

Very few have appealed the reassessments, Klauck said.

Klauck said that hangars have for years been under assessed in value. What his office did was simply align assessments with market values of the structures. Waukesha County owns the land underneath the hangars, which it leases to owners.

“It will hurt their pocket book this year, but they were under assessed in previous years,” Klauck said.