Finance & Assessing

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• 2019 Sales Study
• How To Read Your Assessment Notice

The Assessing Office’s primary purpose is to establish the Assessed Value for all real and personal property in the City of Grosse Pointe which is not expressly exempt by law.

On March 15, 1994, the voters of the State of Michigan approved Proposal A which included significant changes to Section 3 of Article IX of the State Constitution.   This law limits the value used to compute property taxes.  The following definitions may be helpful in understanding the assessment process.

1. Assessed Value – Value determined by the local assessor which is equal to 50% of true cash value.
2. Capped Value – The prior year’s taxable value minus any losses (demolition of a structure, etc.) multiplied by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the current  year, plus any additions (new construction, etc.).  The maximum increase in any one year is limited to 5% plus any construction changes.  The Capped value is a mathematical calculation which is mandated by the State of Michigan, and no one on the local level has the authority to change it.
3. Taxable Value – The value on which property taxes will be computed.  This is either the assessed value or capped value formula, whichever is less.
4. Market Value – This is the usual selling price of property on the open market with no stress or unusual conditions placed on the sale, not the actual selling price.

The following is a historical list of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) multiplier.

1995	1.026		2001	1.032		2007	1.037		2013	1.024
1996	1.028		2002	1.032		2008	1.023		2014	1.016
1997	1.028		2003	1.015		2009	1.044		2015	1.016
1998	1.027		2004	1.023		2010	0.997		2016	1.003
1999	1.026		2005	1.023		2011	1.017		2017	1.009
2000	1.019		2006	1.033		2012	1.027		2018	1.021

If there was a transfer of ownership on your property last year, your taxable value for the current year will be the same as your state equalized value.  Within 45 days of the property transfer, it is the buyer’s responsibility to file a Property Transfer Affidavit with the Assessor under authority of P.A. 415 of 1994.  The information must include the parties to the transfer, the date of the transfer, the actual consideration for the transfer, and the property’s identification number or legal description.

Homeowners may also want to claim an exemption for property they own and occupy as their principal residence by completing the Homeowner's Principal Residence Exemption Affidavit and filing it with the Assessor’s office before Nov. 1st.  If you are moving from one homestead to another, you may also need to file a Request to Rescind Homeowner's Principal Residence Exemption Affidavit for your former residence.  You may claim only one residence as your homestead.  These forms are usually provided at a real estate closing.  However, copies of these forms may be obtained from the Assessor’s office or on-line through the Michigan Department of Treasury at http://www.michigan.gov/treasury.

An annual “Notice of Assessment and Taxable Valuation” is mailed to each property owner in late February each year.  The notice includes the property classification, along with a comparison of the current year and prior year taxable, assessed, and state equalized values.  The notice will also list the percentage of the property which is claimed as a Homestead, and whether or not a transfer of ownership occurred in the previous year.  Property owners should review all the information carefully, as this information becomes the basis on which taxes are levied.

Assessments may be appealed to the March Board of Review.  Dates and times of board meetings are included on the assessment notice, and also published in the Grosse Pointe News as required by law.  Petitions will be available the day of your scheduled appointment.  Please arrive ten (10) minutes prior to your appointment to fill out the petition form.  Non-residents may also appeal by letter, provided the letter is received before the last scheduled meeting date.  If an agent is acting as the property owner’s representative, they must submit a letter of authorization with an original signature and current date at the time of the appeal.

So how do I appeal my assessment and taxable value?
Call the City Office at 313-885-5800 to schedule an appointment.  You must be prepared to provide evidence to the Board of Review to support your contention that the assessed value exceeds 50% of the True Cash Value of the property.  “My taxes are too high,” is not considered a valid argument.  Your appointment is limited to 10 minutes.  

The March Board of Review will listen to all reasons for objecting to the assessment and determine the final value.  Petitioners will be notified by letter of the Board’s decision by to June 1st.  Property owners may wish to appeal further to the Michigan Tax Tribunal.  The address will be provided in the Board of Review’s response.  Please remember, the March Board of Review may only review the current year’s assessment, and they do not establish the tax rate.  The March Board of Review may raise, lower, or affirm an assessment.

Most records in the Assessor’s office, including the assessment roll, field sheets, appraisal reports, legal descriptions, sales data, and lot and building sizes, are available to the public for inspection.