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Online Assessing & Tax Data
Local
assessor is responsible for annually reviewing every
assessment in their taxing jurisdiction. Tax Day is
December 31 of each year and the property is assessed
at 50% of its 'True Cash Value' as of that date. The
township assessor, through the local board of review,
is the only agency that is allowed to change an individual
assessment.
There
are various reasons that your assessed and taxable values
can increase. The assessed value represents 50% of the
value of the property and has no limit in which it can
increase. Some of the reasons that an assessed value
can increase is because of improvements made to the
property and general market increases. Taxable values
are capped at rate of inflation increases or 5%, whichever
is less, unless there are new improvements made to the
property.
Assessor
and staff face the responsibility and challenge of accurately
and efficiently estimating the market value of taxable
properties. How well the challenge is met directly
affects the proportion of local governmental costs borne
by each and every property owner, as well as the effectiveness
of local government in general.
Michigan
Constitution and property tax law requires that all
property be uniformly assessed at no more than 50% of
true cash value, which is the cash price a property
could bring in a competitive and open market.
General
Property Tax Act [MCL211.1] requires real and personal
property to be assessed annually in each township and
city by a certified assessing officer. Assessment
roll must include the name and address of every person
subject to taxation in the municipality. The roll
must also contain a full property description, including
the number of acres.
Assessing
department is required to maintain assessing records,
which includes annual assessments, taxable values, and
maintenance of name, address, legal descriptions and
homestead information of each property in the township.
Inspections of properties will be made to continually
develop accurate assessing records.
Staff
will be in the field periodically to measure and update
photos. The use and distribution of this information
provides an indirect benefit to any individual who wishes
to buy, sell or finance property in the Township.
We
hope this endeavor will further enhance the availability
of information to the township residents.
We
thank you for your cooperation and support!
_________________________________________
General
Property Tax Act
211.27
“True Cash Value” Definition
Our
work is largely regulated by State law which dictates
when and how we reassess properties. We bring
a significant amount of professional expertise to a
project. In 2007, we prepared a revaluation – (re-appraisal),
of the township properties.
A
revaluation is the process of performing all of the
necessary Market Analysis and Valuation steps to determine
accurate and equitable values for all properties within
a municipality. The equalization of the values within
a jurisdiction creates a fair distribution of the tax
burden. The purpose of a Revaluation is not to raise
taxes. The purpose is to create an equitable distribution
of the tax load.
What
is market value?
Market
value is defined as the amount a typical, well-informed
purchaser would be willing to pay for a property. For
a sale to be a market value (arms- length) sale, seller
and buyer must be unrelated, buyer must be willing (but
not under pressure) to buy, the property must be on
the market for a reasonable length of time, payment
must be in cash or its equivalent, and financing must
be typical for that type of property.
How
will I know if my assessment is equitable?
1)
Can I sell my property for that amount?
The
first thing that you should do is ask yourself if you
could sell the property for approximately that amount.
(Please note that assessments in Michigan reflect 50%
of market value.) It is our goal, as your assessors,
to comply with guidelines and have fair and equitable
values a reasonable reflective market value.
2)
Does the Assessing department have the correct information
on my property?
You
can review the information that the Assessing Department
has collected on your property to make sure the data
is accurate. Sales information, property record cards
and maps are available for your review during normal
office hours.
3)
How much have similar properties in my neighborhood
been assessed for?
If
you do not have any recent sales activity in your local
area, you can look up the assessed value of similar
parcels that are located near your property. Please
be aware that what may appear to be a similar parcel
may in fact be very different from your property.
Additionally,
we are happy to assist you with reviewing your property
card or evaluation sales information. We strive
to have accurate information on all properties to accurately
reflect the on-going area market.
Thank
you –
Please
feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns.
Polly
& Tim Cairns |
