 Gail A. Watkins has served as City Assessor since 1986. He is a member and past President of the Clinton County Assessor's Association, and is a member of the Michigan Assessor's Association.
Gail received a Certificate for Assessment Administration from Lansing Community College and a Bachelor's Degree from Central Michigan University.
The City Assessor's Duties include:
- Placing an annual assessed value and taxable value on all real and personal property within the City for the purpose of levying property taxes.
- All City property records are maintained by the Assessing Department including name and address changes, transfer affidavits, homestead exemptions, and parcel descriptions.
- The Assessor establishes the true cash (fair market) value of real and personal property. The fair market value determines property: assessed value (half the true cash value), and the taxable value in the year following a sale.
BOARD OF REVIEW |
March ___ & ___, 2011
From 3:00 pm to 9:00 pm |
Conditional Recission of Principal Residence Exemption
Governor Granholm recently signed House Bill 4215, enacting Public Act 96 of 2008. This amendment to the General Property Tax Act enables a person who has purchased a new home and established a new Principal Residence to retain a Principal Residence Exemption (PRE) on their former homestead property, as well, if certain criteria are met. An owner may continue to receive the homestead exemption for up to three years if the property is not occupied, is not rented or leased, is for sale, and is not used for any business or commercial purpose. The opportunity to apply and qualify for a conditional rescission begins for the 2008 tax year and is not retroactive to previous tax years.
An owner may receive the PRE on the previous principal residence (Homestead) for up to three years if the property continues to not be occupied, is for sale, is not leased, and is not used for any commercial purpose. The owner must annually submit Form 4640 on or before December 31 to verify to the assessor that the property for which the PRE is retained still meets eligibility.
For example, if an owner moves sometime during 2008 and files a new homestead affidavit on the new residence, he or she would have to submit the Conditional Rescission of Principal Residence Exemption affidavit each year by December 31 to receive the exemption for 2009, 2010, 2011.
It should be noted that conditional rescissions do not apply to homes in foreclosure where the bank has taken possession but where the home is vacant and for sale. Only the owner who previously occupied the property as his or her principal residence qualifies for the conditional rescission. Companies, such as banks, do not qualify for a PRE.
If a property owner has moved to another location but still owns the previous residence and rents or leases it for only a few months, the opportunity to receive the conditional rescission is no longer available.
An owner who still owns property in Michigan but has moved out of state does not qualify; nor does the owner who still owns his property, but has moved into an apartment. The owner of the property must be eligible for and claim an exemption for his or her current principal residence. A person renting an apartment is not eligible for an exemption on the former homesteaded property.
CONDITIONAL RESCISSION FORM
You may contact City Assessor - Gail Watkins at:
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