Clinton Township

Township buys tax forfeitures from county

By Nico Rubello
C & G Staff Writer

CLINTON TOWNSHIP — Clinton Township will purchase 72 tax-forfeited properties as part of a county program.

Township trustees voted Aug. 13 to purchase the properties from the county for the combined $445,550 in back taxes owed on them. Among the list of forfeited properties are 11 condominiums, 20 homes and 41 vacant parcels — all of which have been seized due to nonpayment of taxes going back to 2009.

“There are real potential gems. There are some tougher properties in this list. There are some that have a lot of potential,” said Township Treasurer Bill Sowerby who, along with Planning Director Carlo Santia, had visited each of the properties. “What important about these properties … is we’re able to control the outcome.”

In Michigan, property owners have two full tax seasons to make up their taxes before the property goes into foreclosure. At that point, the homeowner can work with the county to forgo foreclosure, but if no solution can be reached, the property has to be forfeited.

Under a tax reversion program, Clinton Township opts to purchase the tax-forfeited land parcels within the township for the price of the back taxes owed on them.

But it’s an all-or-nothing deal: Either the township purchases all of them or none at all.

The township then bids out some of the properties, hoping to get them back into the hands of private citizens and back onto the tax rolls. During the sales, bidders submit sealed bids to the township.

Township Supervisor Robert Cannon said by taking ownership of the properties, the township was able to market them for sale.

“There are some years we make money on the properties, and other years we don’t,” said township Supervisor Robert Cannon. “We maintain control by doing it this way.”

Maintaining the properties also helps stabilize neighborhood home values, he said.

Sowerby said that for parcels that may not be sellable on their own, the township has the ability to work out a deal to sell them to an adjacent property owner, some of whom are already keeping them up anyway.

Also during the Aug. 13 meeting, the Board of Trustees voted to sell two tax-forfeited building pads — which were for 13 unbuilt condominium units — for the price of $25,000. Bids on a few of the other vacant properties put up for bid came in, but were too low to warrant selling, Santia said.

These properties will be put back up for bid, he added. Available properties are marked with signs, directing potential bidders to the Clinton Township website, www.clintontownship-mi.gov., and to a township phone number.

For more information about bidding on one of the tax-forfeited properties, call the township Planning Department at (586) 286-9325.
 

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Nico Rubello at nrubello@candgnews.com or at (586)279-1118.