Lawsuits and Legislation Results of State Tax Commission Actions

The State Tax Commission is facing lawsuits and possible legislation following their decisions to implement a two-year probation period for a tax assessor and to take over the tax rolls for four separate communities in the Upper Peninsula. Houghton, Baraga Township, L’Anse Township, and Laird Township, as well as, the assessor in question, James Fedie, have filed a lawsuit charging overreach by the State Tax Commission.

The plaintiffs’ lawyer said that this problem is a result of the commission not having proper procedures for handling complaints. According to Jack Van Coevering, a Grand Rapids attorney, complaints filed with the commission have been handled by the Department of Treasury. Those behind the lawsuit are not the only ones displeased with the actions of the commission, as Saugatuck City Manager Kirk Harrier has also voiced his displeasure in a letter to Senator Tonya Schuitmaker (R-Lawton) following the hearing process against his city’s assessor.

Following the filing of the lawsuit by Mr. Fedie and the four municipalities in question, Senator Tom Casperson (R-Escanaba), Representative Scott Dianda (D-Calumet), Representative Ed McBroom (R-Vulcan), and Representative Kivela authored a letter to the State Tax Commission, arguing that the commission has not met their statutory requirement to take over assessment rolls.

In order to help communities who are struggling with the complaint process, Representative John Kivela (D-Marquette) has been working on legislation which would clarify the current process. According to Representative Kivela’s staff, meetings to draft legislation in order to clarify the appeals process are underway and a final draft of the bill should be introduced in the House sometime this fall.

posted by PAA Online , Friday, August 7, 2015 10:37 AM
LINK DIRECTLY TO THIS ARTICLE

This Week's Newsletter

Past Newsletters