HOUSE BILL No. 4888

September 22, 2015, Introduced by Reps. Hughes, Glenn, Glardon, Chatfield, Hooker, Sheppard, Crawford, Price and Johnson and referred to the Committee on Local Government.

 

     A bill to amend 1893 PA 206, entitled

 

"The general property tax act,"

 

by amending section 24 (MCL 211.24), as amended by 2012 PA 409.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 24. (1) On or before the first Monday in March in each

 

year, the assessor shall make and complete an assessment roll, upon

 

which he or she shall set down all of the following:

 

     (a) The name and address of every person liable to be taxed in

 

the local tax collecting unit with a full description of all the

 

real property liable to be taxed. If the name of the owner or

 

occupant of any tract or parcel of real property is known, the

 

assessor shall enter the name and address of the owner or occupant

 

opposite to the description of the property. If unknown, the real

 

property described upon the roll shall be assessed as "owner

 

unknown". All contiguous subdivisions of any section that are owned


by 1 person, firm, corporation, or other legal entity and all

 

unimproved lots in any block that are contiguous and owned by 1

 

person, firm, corporation, or other legal entity shall be assessed

 

as 1 parcel, unless demand in writing is made by the owner or

 

occupant to have each subdivision of the section or each lot

 

assessed separately. However, failure to assess contiguous parcels

 

as entireties does not invalidate the assessment as made. Each

 

description shall show as near as possible the number of acres

 

contained in it, as determined by the assessor. It is not necessary

 

for the assessment roll to specify the quantity of land comprised

 

in any town, city, or village lot.

 

     (b) The assessor shall estimate, according to his or her best

 

information and judgment, the true cash value and assessed value of

 

every parcel of real property and set the assessed value down

 

opposite the parcel.

 

     (c) The assessor shall calculate the tentative taxable value

 

of every parcel of real property and set that value down opposite

 

the parcel.

 

     (d) The assessor shall determine the percentage of value of

 

every parcel of real property that is exempt from the tax levied by

 

a local school district for school operating purposes to the extent

 

provided under section 1211 of the revised school code, 1976 PA

 

451, MCL 380.1211, and set that percentage of value down opposite

 

the parcel.

 

     (e) The assessor shall determine the date of the last transfer

 

of ownership of every parcel of real property occurring after

 

December 31, 1994 and set that date down opposite the parcel.

 


     (f) The assessor shall estimate the true cash value of all the

 

personal property of each person, and set the assessed value and

 

tentative taxable value down opposite the name of the person. In

 

determining the property to be assessed and in estimating the value

 

of that property, the assessor is not bound to follow the

 

statements of any person, but shall exercise his or her best

 

judgment. For taxes levied after December 31, 2003, the assessor

 

shall separately state the assessed value and tentative taxable

 

value of any leasehold improvements.

 

     (g) Property assessed to a person other than the owner shall

 

be assessed separately from the owner's property and shall show in

 

what capacity it is assessed to that person, whether as agent,

 

guardian, or otherwise. Two or more persons not being copartners,

 

owning personal property in common, may each be assessed severally

 

for each person's portion. Undivided interests in lands owned by

 

tenants in common, or joint tenants not being copartners, may be

 

assessed to the owners.

 

     (2) The assessment roll described in subsection (1) may be in

 

an electronic data processing format.