Treasurer Dorothy Simmons is in the office on Tuesday and Thursday from 10:30 a.m. until her work is done.

Deputy Treasurer Wesley Lind is in the office on Mondays and Wednesday from 9 a.m. until noon. One of the two is in the office on Fridays from 10:30 a.m. until the work is done. To ensure that someone is here to answer your questions, it is suggested that you call first.

Summer Taxes: The summer tax bill is sent by July 1st, and is payable July 1st through September 14th without penalty or interest. Beginning September 15th through September 30th a 1% interest charge will be added. An additional 1% per month will be added on the 1st of each month to the unpaid balance.

Deferment of Summer Taxes: The law provides that beginning September 15th, a 1% interest be paid. However, these taxes may be deferred without penalty until February 14th, for any taxpayer who is a senior citizen 62 years or older, including the unremarried surviving spouse of a person who was 62 years of age or older at the time of death; is totally and permanently disabled person; blind person; paraplegic; quadriplegic; eligible service person; eligible veteran; or eligible widow or widower or otherwise eligible whose household income does not exceed $35,000 per year. Applications for deferment are available at the Treasurer's office or see link on this page and must be returned to their office by September 14th.

Winter Taxes: The winter tax bill is sent by December 1st, and is payable December 1st through February 14th without penalty or interest. Beginning February 15th a 1% penalty will be added. Beginning March 1st all real taxes must be paid to the Berrien County Treasurer, 701 Main Street, St. Joseph, MI 49085. A 4% administration fee and 1% interest per month is applied to the delinquent taxes when paid at the county.

Review Your Tax Bill: After receiving your tax bill, review it carefully. Please make sure that your homestead percentage is correct. If a correction is needed, please call the phone number on your tax bill immediately so that an adjustment can be made at the July or December Board of Review.

Escrow Accounts: Please check to see if you are coded for a mortgage company on your tax bill. If you have an escrow account and this tax bill is coded with a number in the box marked Bank Number this means your mortgage company has requested a copy of your tax bill, and the treasurer has provided an extra copy to them. If there is no number in that box, your bill has not been sent to your mortgage company. Therefore, enclose one copy of the tax bill with your next mortgage payment.

Payment by Check: Checks are accepted only as conditional payment of taxes. If the check is not honored by the bank, the tax is considered unpaid and will be restored to the tax roll without further notice. A service charge may be applied to checks returned from the bank. Failure to send or receive such notice shall not in any way prejudice the right to collect or enforce the payment of any tax.

Assessor Jeanine Moon is at the Township Center on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 8:30 until noon and from 1 to 4 p.m. Because she spends time out in the field, it is best to call ahead.

The Board of Review consists of Elizabeth A. Rettig, W. Timothy Hawkins and Adrian Van Ginhoven. They meet in March, July and December.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR NOTICE OF ASSESSMENT

(And how it affects your 2008 taxes)

LINE 1 - TAXABLE VALUE - THIS IS WHAT YOU PAY TAXES ON!

(2008 TAXABLE VALUE multiplied by MILLAGE = 2008 TAXES)

The figure on this line is used to compute the amount of money you will actually pay in real estate taxes. Unless there has been new construction, demolition, or a change in ownership, these figures are "capped" annually (under Proposal A - 1994). The most that the taxable value can increase from year to year is 5% or the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the current year - whichever is less.

1997 and 1998 CPI were 2.8%; 1999 CPI was 1.6%; 2000 CPI was 1.9% 2001 and 2002 CPI were 3.2% 2003 CPI was 1.5% and the CPI for 2004 and 2005 is 2.3%. The 2006 CPI is 3.3%.The 2007 CPI is 3.7%.The 2008 CPI is 1.023%.

AGAIN, LINE 1 IS WHAT YOU ARE TAXED ON.

(EXAMPLE: Take the figure on Line 1 for the current year and multiply it by 2. This is the value of property you are being taxed on.)

LINE 2 - ASSESSED VALUE - THIS IS WHAT YOUR PROPERTY IS WORTH! (2007 ASSESSED VALUE multiplied by 2 = FAIR MARKET VALUE OF YOUR PROPERTY)

YOU ARE NOT TAXED ON THE ASSESSED VALUE!!

The figure on this line is one-half (1/2) of the Township's determination as to the actual "Fair Market Value" of your property. This figure is raised (or lowered) from year to year based on sales studies from actual real estate sales in your neighborhood. This does not affect your taxes!!

For the year 2008, Chikaming Township received an increase of 11.31% on Residential, 6.63% on Agricultural, 11.55% on Commercial and 2.4% on Industrial properties from sales in the township.

WHAT IS THE BOARD OF REVIEW'S JOB?

The Board of Review is set up to determine whether or not your property is "fairly assessed" (FAIR MARKET VALUE). They can only help you if you have documents to verify what you believe the Fair Market Value to be.