Assessing Department

**NOTICE**

A county wetland inventory has been completed by the Michigan Department of Environmental Qualtiy (MDEQ) pursuant to Part 303, Wetlands Protection, of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, 1994 PA 451, as amended. The inventory map is on file with the county extension office, register of deeds, and clerk and is also available at www.michigan.gov/deqwetlands. The inventory map provides potential and approximate locations of wetlands but cannot be used to identify wetlands for regulatory purposes. Property containing wetlands may be subject to regualtion under part 303. For more information, including how to obtain a wetland permit or a determination of whether property contains regulated wetland, please visit the MDEQ Website.

***************************************************************************

The Assessing Department has the responsibility of appraising and determining the true cash value of all taxable properties located within the township. This department also has the responsibility to prepare the assessment rolls and tax rolls for the City of Swartz Creek. The State of Michigan Constitution and Statue requires that, notwithstanding, any other provision of law, the assessed values placed upon the assessment roll shall be at 50% of true cash value. The assessed values, when equalized, become the State Equalized Values (SEV) and taxes were based on those values. This procedure changed with the passage of Proposal A in March of 1994. Proposal A placed additional and profound limits on the values used to compute property taxes. Starting in 1995 and thereafter, property taxes are calculated based on the Taxable Value.

Currently, the City of Swartz Creek levies 4.8289 mils for general operating and 1.75 mils for waste management (totaling 6.5789 local mils). The 2008 total tax levies in the City, including schools, special authorities, community college, and county operating is 30.8077 mils for a homestead property and 48.8077 for non-homestead properties. For details on tax levies for all authorities in the County, click here.

The Assessing Department serves as a source of information for the public by maintaining for general inspection, subdivision plat maps, as well as property assessment cards for each parcel of land located in the City of Swartz Creek. At present there are over 2,389 real parcels and over 371 personal property accounts. The Assessor and his staff are constantly reviewing and updating records to reflect changes that occur to the individual properties.