Board Accepts County Apportionment Report

At its Dec. 7, 2011 meeting, the Washtenaw County board of commissioners voted to accept the county’s apportionment report, which gives details of the 2011 taxable valuations for property in the county, by municipality. The report also includes the amount of millages levied and the dollar amounts collected in taxes. December tax bills have already been mailed out to property owners, based on these calculations.

Every April, the county’s equalization department produces an annual report describing Washtenaw County’s total equalized (assessed) value of property. The report – part of the state-mandated equalization process – gives an indication of how much revenue the county will receive from property taxes in the coming year. [See Chronicle coverage: "Washtenaw County's Taxable Value Falls"]

In November, the equalization and property description department presents an apportionment report, which gives details of the taxable valuations for property in the county, by municipality. The report also includes the amount of millages levied and the dollar amounts collected in taxes. [.pdf file of 2011 apportionment report] Like the equalization report, the board is required by state law to vote on adopting the apportionment report.

This year, all the taxing entities in Washtenaw County will be levying in total about $622 million in property taxes –a drop from $639 million in 2010. The county alone will levy about $81 million this year, compared to $83 million in 2010.

Raman Patel, the county’s equalization director, spoke briefly to commissioners, saying that the equalization process is underway in preparation for the annual report in April. He said it appears that taxable value won’t be declining as much as it did last year.

This brief was filed from the boardroom of the county administration building at 220 N. Main St. in Ann Arbor, where the board of commissioners holds its meetings. A more detailed report will follow: [link]