One of the primary reasons that people lose their home is
that they are not paying the property tax on their primary residence. In this process
the property is in the hands of the Wayne County Treasurer. When the taxes
become due, if a homeowner does not pay the bill, their home remains property
of the Wayne County Treasurer until the bill is paid or, the property gets
transferred to the land bank.
A panel of experts composed of:
- United
Nations Economics Advisor Dr. Jeffery Sachs
- Director
of the Governor’s Office of Urban & Metropolitan Strategies, Harvey
Hollins
- Black Caucus
Foundation Managing Director; Dr. KB Stallworth,
- Members from the Michigan
Housing State Development Authority,
- Legislative Black Caucus,
- City of Detroit
- Wayne County Treasurer (click here for property tax payment info)
The goals of this panel were as follows:
- Recover
and Collect delinquent taxes
- Prevent
Evictions
- Provide
leadership and assistance to help people keep their homes.
- Allowing
property owners to make arrangements to pay taxes in arrears and become
current.
- Helping old homeowners to keep their existing homes or providing opportunities to move in and fix one up.
This group engaged in a lively discussion regarding helping
citizens keep their homes. The City of Detroit has been thorough tough times
and is currently on the rebound to prosperity. Sadly some citizens are living
paycheck to paycheck because of Job Loss and other unforeseen events that can’t
be covered by insurance. Therefore you cannot throw them under the bus for
something that is beyond their control.
As a part of a global neighborhood stabilization plan, the
City of Detroit has been selected by the United Nations to be a catalyst for
implementing sustainable life quality strategies. Some of the methods discussed
were using holistic solutions before the year of 2020. This effort encompasses the UN model of
humanity where the access to clean water is essential to life. To maintain
reliable water supply there must be collaboration of ideas from organizations
like Government, Manufacturers, Builders, Universities, and society worldwide.
The ability to manufacture products that do not add to the carbon footprint
will be our answer to deal with the issues of worldwide climate change. For
instance the creation of building materials for homes using agricultural resources
like plants will save the environment and create lots of jobs with
opportunities for growth.
An interesting law is called the Reversion Claim Clause
where a person who purchases a private property will not be charged the back
taxes that are owed. This and other programs like Hardest Hit Program from the
Michigan Housing State Development Authority(Click here for MHSDA) that will allow a homeowner to
apply for funds for the sole purpose of keeping them in their home. Home
ownership is essential to a City that is in need of a renaissance and the
authority has programs for a low income tax credit that help people to keep
their home.
Another piece of information that came out of the meeting is
the ability for a Detroit Resident to purchase an empty lot next to their
property for $100. If a person goes to the website www.buildingdetroit.org they can go
to the Wayne County Treasurer’s office and purchase the lot next to them and
maintain it.
Councilman Cushingberry overwhelmingly supports
the effort to keep people in their homes. Coleman Young always said that there
is nothing better to keeping people in their homes like a good paying job.
After leaving work, a person needs a place to lay their head and, there is
nothing better than a home.
If we can be of any assistance please feel free to
contact the office..
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