HESSEL & CEDARVILLE
As a taxpayer in the Township of Clark, you are concerned about paying only your fair share of taxes for services received. In the Assessor’s office, we are responsible for estimating the market value of every property in the Township. As we estimate the value of your property, we also make every effort to assure that your assessment is equitable to similar properties. Please feel free to contact the Assessor’s Office if you need assistance.
The Assessing Department consists of a MAAO Assessor. Some of her duties include:
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 local assessor is responsible for annually reviewing every assessment in their taxing jurisdiction. Tax 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.
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.
The Assessor 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.
(AV) equals half of the usual selling price (also referred to as the “True Cash Value”. The Michigan Constitution requires that Assessed Value shall not exceed 50% of the market value or true cash value of the property.
Taxable Value is used for the calculation of property taxes. It equals the lesser of the Assessed Value or the Capped Value.
The Taxable Value on a property is said to be “capped” if the property owner did not purchase it in the preceding year. By State Law, when a property is sold or otherwise transferred, the Taxable Value in the year following the transfer, will be made equal to the Assessed Value and thus is said to be “uncapped” for the year. After the uncapping, the Taxable Value is capped for future years until there is another change of ownership.
The answer is that it is against the law. MCL 211.27 states that the purchase price is no longer the presumptive True Case Value of a property. The assessment may be close to half of the purchase price but the property assessment is determined by investigating the other sales in the vicinity of the property. All of the assessment in the vicinity of the property is set using a sales study.
Another reason may be that we simply do not have correct information on your property. For example, if the house was unlivable at the time of purchase, we may not know that. Also, check your record card. This can be done in 2 ways; one, you can check the information using our online property and tax information, or contact our office either in person or by phone.
By law, the only time you may appeal your assessment is at the March Board of Review. The dates and times are on your assessment notice and on our website. After you receive your Change of Assessment in February, you may contact the Assessor’s office at 906-484-2672 to schedule an appointment, or you may send a letter of appeal, including the Michigan Department of Treasury Form L-4035, Petition to Board of Review, which you can get from our office.
An appeal is not a complaint about higher taxes. It is your opportunity to prove that your property’s estimated market value is either inaccurate or unfair. You will be most successful when you can prove at least one of three things:
State law provides the next level of appeal at the Michigan Tax Tribunal. A letter of appeal on residential property must be sent to the Tribunal (P.O. Box 30232, Lansing, MI 48909) by July 31st following an appeal to/at the March Board of Review.
To ensure proper billing of taxes and required notices we encourage you to notify us of any name changes, mailing address changes or business changes. You can change your address by mailing us a request to do so.
General property Tax Act
21.27 “True Cash Value” Definition
FYI – Upon purchasing or a transfer of property – use the below property tax estimator – for a more accurate indication of property taxes, enter the current assessed value (S.E.V.) or 50% of Sale Price, instead of taxable value.
Use the link below, from the State of Michigan, to assist you in estimating your future tax payment.
State of Michigan Tax Payment Estimator
ASSESSOR
Sherry Burd
email: assessor@clarktwp.org
office hours: Tue & Wed, 9:00AM – 1:00PM