Posted on 01/12/2005 5:40:21 PM PST by alienken
Better than good. It locks the property tax at 1% of the "assesed" value and the assesed value is always less than the actual value.
One of my properties recently appraised for $300,000...my property taxes are (and have been for awhile) $1400 a yr.
There was a time in the early 90's when property values were depressed and the tax actually went down.
Well, don't feel bad. I'm paying about $3,500 per year on a house valued at about $200,000. And in a remote area at that with fairly high poverty. My property taxes before former Governor Engler passed property tax "reform" would have been about $7,000. I wasn't living in this house then, and I couldn't have afforded to. It's to the point now that I'm looking to leave the City limits. Absolutely nuts.
Yooper, let your City and County Commissioners know your opinion. I understand that comes with a price tag.
I quote:
"Government does not exist for the benefit of those who work for it; it exists for the benefit of those who pay its bills or need its services. Governments that employ more people than necessary, or that pay their employees more than their market will bear, are not doing any favors for the citizens -including the poor- who are picking up the tab."
The benefits that government employees receive are not in line with the private sector (health insurance without employee match(& payments in-lieu of), retirement, vacation, holiday... Many local government employees receive 13+ holiday's a year. The private sector could not affort that.
The tax increases are not necessary. Fiscal restraint of government is what is necessary. Last week on television I saw one box that survived the Boston Tea Party. Man, are we long overdue for another.
In Michigan the taxpayers will soon feel an extra hit when the "shift & shaft" is implemented.
The County Commisioners are beyond hope, and I may have a slight problem complaining to the City!
Things may be changing at the county level; Earl retained his chairmanship by only one vote, 4-3, over Don. I also am hearing well-founded rumors that Earl may be facing a recall and that it is being pushed by Don and Debbie.
Also, I don't know if Murph told you, but Earl got pasted by Don in one of the County meeting minutes, which you should know how to find. Earl wanted to go into closed session to discuss the circumstances of your leaving, but Don put Earl's butt in the frying pan by saying that would be a violation of the open meetings act, so Earl made some recorded statements that IMO bordered on slander. You and your attorney might want to check that out.
Hope all is well with you and the family. Say hi for me and let me know if there is anything I can do for you up here (check on your house, etc).
Best regards....
Yooper
That is huge, even by my standards. At any other point in my life, I probably would have been forced to sell the house.
This has never been a problem for me for a few reasons:
a. TheMidwest is not a "desireable" place to live for some unknown reason, though it's d@mn beautiful and has all the amenities a person could want, plus tons of lakes, streams, forests, shoreline and quiet meadows and hills to climb. Our property values don't boom and bust as they do in other parts of the USA. But please don't move here, LOL!
b. I've never bought more home than I could afford, and always factored in ALL costs of home ownership from a new roof, a replacement for the furnace, increased property taxes, etc. If you can't figure this stuff out, then just rent or live in your mother's basement until you're 40. Home ownership is not for wimps. ;)
c. I've bought and sold four homes now in the Midwest. Real Estate, as an investment, has always been berry, berry good to me. :)
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