Oxford Village officials last week made it clear they support a proposed constitutional amendment designed to make sure property taxes don’t go up when home values go down.
Council voted 5-0 to support House Joint Resolution III, a proposal which states that any year the State Equalized Value (or assessed value) of a piece of property goes down, the taxable value of that parcel cannot increase.
It also states that if the SEV increases by less than the rate of inflation and 5 percent, then the taxable value cannot increase by more than the lower percentage.
State legislators are hoping to place this proposed constitutional amendment on the February 2009 ballot.
It was approved by the state House Sept. 25, but has yet to be transferred to the Senate.
Lobbying groups like the Michigan Municipal League and Michigan Townships Association are vigorously opposing the proposal by claiming it will mean less money for local governments and ‘crippling? cuts in local services.
Village President Chris Bishop was not moved by these pro-government groups? arguments.
‘If the homeowner’s living on less, we need to live on less,? he said.
Township Supervisor Bill Dunn, who attended the village meeting, also expressed support for HJR III.
‘It’s terrible to raise taxes on the value of a house that went down,? he said. ‘That’s really is hard to swallow.?
Council directed the village manager to write a letter to state Sen. Mike Bishop (R-Rochester) and state Rep. Jim Marleau (R-Lake Orion) expressing the village’s support for HJR III.
? Editor C.J. Carnacchio