Tax assessors want access into your home

Officials in Davison Township, located in Genesee County, have urged their assessors to enter homes for inspections to determine whether home improvements have been made that will raise the owner’s tax bill.

According to The Mackinac Center, the township says it was effectively granted authority to enter homes from the State Tax Commission, which tells local assessors to annually inspect at least 20 percent of the parcels in their municipality.

And the Tax Commission agrees.

The executive director of the Tax Commission told the Mackinac Center that assessors are supposed to conduct interior inspections to fully determine if a home is correctly assessed.

"[That] is the goal," said Kelli Sobel. "They should try to get inside every house so they can assure that the info on the (assessment) card is correct."

When asked if taxes could go up if people denied the tax assessor entrance into their home, Davison Township assessor Kim Nickerson said it was possible.

Here’s how the conversation with The Mackinac Center’s Anne Schieber went:

"It depends on what the amount of finished basements of your neighbors that we are allowed access to," Nickerson said. "Your estimate will be based on what your neighbors have."

So if some people in the neighborhood have a finished basement, it is assumed that others have a finished basement?

"That's correct," Nickerson said.

The township board recently stopped the practice of assessors entering homes. But it appears that Davison Township has opened the door for other communities.