Politics & Government

State Rep. Goike Hosts Town Hall Meeting to Talk Property Tax Appeals

Rep. Ken Goike (R-MI) hosted the first town hall meeting of his term on Monday to educate residents on the property tax appeals process.

Focusing on property tax appeals, State Rep. Ken Goike hosted the first of what he said he hopes will be many town hall meetings in Macomb Township on Monday.

Goike, who serves District 33, said the purpose of Monday’s meeting was to make constituents aware of their rights as property owners and to introduce them to resources they can use to ensure they are paying the right amount in property taxes.

“A lot of times people are talking to their neighbors and they find out what their neighbors are paying and then they get their assessment in the mail and they question, ‘Why is my assessment higher?’” Goike said. “Obviously, nobody wants to pay anymore than they have to. Especially in these tough economic times we are in.”

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The meeting was held at the and drew residents from Macomb Township, Ray Township and Richmond.  

“We are doing a lot of (these events) to see what people want,” said Goike’s legislative aide, Joe Biondo. “This is the first one we are doing, so in a lot of ways it is our first test run. We will always keep the door open as far as suggestions and ideas people might have. We encourage people to call us if they have an idea for a local event.”

Find out what's happening in Macomb Townshipwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Goike provided everyone with a worksheet entitled “How to Effectively Appeal Your Property Assessment” and gave a short presentation on the tax appeal process, taking time to identify the key components of a tax assessment and some of the variables that go into the assessment, such as comparables, renovations to the home, damage and location.

Biondo advised residents considering a property tax appeal to personally meet with the tax tribunal in their city or township in addition to sending an appeal letter.

The Macomb Township Tax Tribunal meets for residential homes in the second week of March and Goike said residents considering a property tax appeal should contact the township as soon as possible to make an appointment.

If an appeal is denied, residents can appeal to the Michigan State Tax Tribunal on or before July 31.

Ray Township resident Lawrence Colpaert said the meeting encouraged him to do a little more research on his own taxes.

“I think these meetings are very helpful, they help you establish a basic idea of what our tax structure is like and how to deal with it,” he said. “I felt they were very well informed and they helped me to be very well informed. I’m going to go check my tax card and see how they got my taxes set up that high now.”

Fellow attendee Geri Clays shared Colpaert’s positive assessment of the meeting.

“It was very informative,” Clays said. “It helped us figure out the tax information that we got in the mail. Because everyone’s is different, some went up, some went down. (Goike) explained why some went up and others down. The forum like this was very informative and we could use more of them on different topics.”

Biondo said similar forums are already planned for the year.

Residents can contact Goike’s office by e-mail at kengoike@house.mi.gov, phone at  517-373-0820 or visit his website at www.RepKenGoike.com.

The handout provided by Goike at the meeting can be found in the media section associated with this article. The handout includes a step-by-step process on how to appeal a property tax assessment and a sample appeal letter.


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