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OAKLAND COUNTY — Communities that contract with Oakland County for assessing services are raising concerns — and in some cases, changing vendors — after a narrowly divided Oakland County Board of Commissioners voted to raise rates.
There are 19 cities and 13 townships that contract with the Oakland County Equalization Division for assessing services, which determine taxable values. The county charges communities on a per-parcel basis. The contracts are for a three-year period, beginning July 1.
The increase affects each community, averaging an increase of 75% the first year and nearly 92% the third year. An optional “smoothing method” raises the rates more gradually, averaging 26% the first year and 140% the third year.
Rochester and Oakland Township are among the communities that contract with the county for assessing services. Rochester Hills has its own assessing department.
In Rochester, the year one increase without smoothing would be an eye-watering 84.91%, rising to nearly 102.34% the third year. In neighboring Oakland Township, the rate increase without smoothing would be 62.3% the first year, rising to 77.6% the third year. Rochester was billed nearly $98,000 for assessment services in 2024, while Oakland Township was billed $149,080.
Local officials were outraged by what they saw as an inexplicable increase, one with little warning.
“I think this is quite outrageous, these increases,” Oakland Township Supervisor Robin Buxar said of the county’s new assessing rates.
Marcy Moriwaki, the deputy finance director and deputy treasurer for Rochester, agreed.
“We were just shocked by the increases that have been levied,” she said. “Everyone is just trying to figure out, do we stay with Oakland County or do we go with a different contractor?”
Moriwaki said the city didn’t receive adequate notice from the county for budget planning purposes.
“The city is doing the very best we can to control costs and provide the best services that we can, but this came out of left field,” she said. “We had already presented our budget to the City Council, and our budget for next year had already been approved. We heard about the increases the day after we had presented our proposed budget to the City Council in April.”
Oakland County Commissioner David Woodard, D-District 1, chairs the county board. He explained the rationale for the increase at a meeting of the Madison Heights City Council April 28.
“The cost of providing this service is roughly $6.5 million. The amount of revenue that’s been coming in from these contracts after a complete overview is, I believe, less than $4 million,” Woodward said. “So there’s a massive deficit there.”
He noted the cost increase would help cover many “indirect costs” associated with assessment work, such as human resources support to process dedicated staff for each project, the space and equipment required to do that, associated printing and postage costs, and more.
“We are not in the business of making a profit,” he said. “We’re in the business of fiscal responsibility — making sure we’re covering the cost.”
When informed about the county’s decision, some cities began exploring other options.
The Oakland Township Board of Trustees unanimously voted to go out for a bid for assessing services.
“I’m really disturbed at the continual attitude of the county, just increasing these without much input from the townships that they serve,” Oakland Township Trustee John Casadei said. “We have to go out (to bid). They almost look like they don’t want to be in the assessing business anymore. (My) personal opinion.”
Oakland Township Treasurer John Giannangeli said the increases go to show what municipalities “can be expecting from the county” following a recent increase in the county’s fee for public safety services.
“Our biggest expense is our safety, and they went up 35%, or roughly $600,000-$700,000,” he said, referring to the public safety service fee increase the county recently passed on to the township. “You’re looking at another $100,000 here. I believe all the services the county (provides), and we have relied on, are going up significantly. So I think we need to, where we can, look for alternatives to that.
At its City Council meeting May 12, Madison Heights switched to a new vendor: Assessment Administration Services LLC.
The new firm offered Madison Heights four times the in-office hours provided by Oakland County, at a cost less than the budget originally planned for fiscal year 2026: $229,980 for the year, with a 4% increase each following year, compared to the county’s anticipated cost of nearly $408,600 without smoothing.
“When we’re planning five years in advance and we’re doing all the work we can to provide the best services we can for residents while keeping taxes as low as possible, being hit with this increase at the last minute is just not OK,” said Madison Heights Mayor Pro Tem Mark Bliss.
Representing the cities of Madison Heights, Hazel Park and Troy is Oakland County Commissioner Ann Erickson Gault, D-District 3. She voted in favor of the increase. Gault said it wasn’t an easy decision, but she felt it was needed due to rising operational costs.
“I am keenly aware of the financial challenges that our cities face, and I will always try to find a solution that will not burden our communities,” Gault said via email. “That being said, the current assessing rates are unsustainable, and everyone agreed that the rates had to be increased to cover the county’s costs.
“Even with the new rate (of about $30 per parcel the first year), Oakland County assessing services remain less expensive than the average municipal self-managed cost of $33 per parcel,” she continued. “Troy, which I also represent, has its own internal assessing department. Based on its 2024 data, it costs Troy at least $35 per parcel to assess their properties.”
A split Board of Commissioners approved the rate increase at its meeting May 1. The room was tense as the measure passed by a vote of 10-9.
The “yes” votes were Woodward; Gault; Penny Luebs, D-District 2; Gwen Markham, D-District 15; Angela Powell, D-District 9; Marcia Gershenson, D-District 11; William Miller, D-District 16; Yolanda Smith Charles, D-District 17; Brendan Johnson, D-District 4; and Linnie Taylor, D-District 18.
Voting against the increase were Michael Spisz, R-District 5; Michael Gingell, R-District 6; Karen Joliat, R-District 8; Kristen Nelson, D-District 10; Christine Long, R-District 12; Robert Hoffman, R-District 7; Philip Weipert, R-District 13; Charlie Cavell, D-District 19; and Robert Smiley, R-District 14.
In all, 32 communities are affected: Berkley, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Clarkston, Clawson, Commerce Township, Farmington, Ferndale, Groveland Township, Hazel Park, Holly Township, Huntington Woods, Keego Harbor, Lathrup Village, Lyon Township, Madison Heights, Milford Township, Novi Township, Pleasant Ridge, Pontiac, Oakland Township, Orchard Lake, Orion Township, Oxford Township, Rochester, Rose Township, Royal Oak Township, South Lyon, Southfield Township, Springfield Township, Walled Lake and Wixom.
Immediately before the vote May 1, two commissioners spoke out in protest.
Cavell said he didn’t understand the urgency in raising rates.
“There is time to talk it out,” he said. “We’re not in a massive crisis where we need money tomorrow.”
Spisz said the extra money will vanish into what he called the “black hole” of the county’s fund balance “and just sit there in the bank.”
“I cannot believe the amount of effort going into screwing our communities. This is nothing but a freaking money grab,” Spisz said. “I hear ya, we want to get those numbers there. But tell me the last time this county has been hurting for money in the last 25, 30 years? We have yet to have a year where we’ve been in the red.”
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