While calling it “beyond our control,” Independence Township officials have apologized for late assessment increase notices and have scheduled additional board of review sessions.
Officials have confirmed that “some” notices did not go out 10 days before the first meeting of the township board of review, as mandated by law.
The issue came to light at the Tuesday, March 18 township board meeting, where resident Steve Green said he received his assessment notice only five days before the first scheduled board of review meeting.
“We’ve all said ‘the check’s in the mail,'” Green said. “Well, this was in the mail but it didn’t get to anybody in a timely manner.”
A letter from Assessor David J. Kramer said additional board of review meetings are scheduled for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday and Friday, March 27 and 28 at the township hall, 90 N. Main Street (not fire station #1 as was listed on notices of assessment).
Property owners must call (248) 625-8114 to schedule an appointment for the new board of review meetings.
“The township and the assessor’s office apologize for the late notices, albeit beyond our control,” Kramer wrote, “and welcome those individuals who need this opportunity to avail themselves of the additional meetings of the board of review.”
The first meetings of the board of review were March 10-12, but Green said he did not receive his notice until March 5.
“This left me five days before the board met, and I thought that was kind of strange,” Green told the board of trustees, noting the short time frame to prepare an appeal. “How am I going to get all this information together in order to be able to meet with these people and make a factual presentation?”
Green said his notice came with a “permit” postmark from Livonia, and offered his “hypothesis” as to the township government’s motive. “Why go to Livonia to mail this thing, other than perhaps to get it in people’s hands as late as possible.”
After Kramer’s letter was issued, Supervisor Dale Stuart said the delay was unintentional, caused by the failure of a contracted mailing service to meet their deadline.
“They just dropped the ball,” Stuart said. “[Notices] were supposed to go out in a timely manner.”
The solution of offering additional board of review meetings is “not perfect,” Stuart said, but the township is required by law to have tax rolls completed by March 31.
Green also asked the board to look at possible penalty’s for the township administration’s error.
“I suffer a penalty if I don’t have my tax dollars into Independence Township on Feb. 14 or Sept. 14,” Green said. “I don’t know if the penalty is something the state should consider or not. You people have to figure out what happened, why it happened, and what the ramifications of this whole thing are.”
Stuart later said there is no penalty against the township. Although he offered no specifics, he said officials will deal with the contracted mailing service.
The purpose of the board of review is to consider property owner’s appeal of assessed valuation, taxable valuation or classification issues or appeals for exemption from taxation because of poverty.