DETROIT – Dozens gathered Thursday night for a town hall meeting addressing Detroit’s property tax controversy.
The meeting comes after Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said in his State of the City Address that overtaxed homeowners from 2010 to 2016 shouldn’t expect to see any cash coming back to them. Homeowners aren’t ready to give up the fight just yet.
“We haven’t seen this number of property tax foreclosures in American history since the Great Depression,” a citizen said.
Dozens of homeowners showed up to Bethel AME Church on Thursday night, eager to hear what comes next after it was revealed that Detroit residents were overtaxed $600 million between 2010 and 2016.
“Our request is that we suspend the auction and suspend foreclosures and forgive all the debt of all people that are in the payment plans,” a citizen said.
The meeting was organized by council president pro tem Mary Sheffield. It also featured members of the Coalition of Property Tax Justice and college professor Bernadette Autuane. Collectively all three have organized a list of possible demands that can possibly help alleviate the situation.
Duggan recently said the money over assessed from property taxes were already spent.
“I’m just going to tell you the truth, that people who got assessed in 2011 and 2012, that money has been spent and they have no way of recovering it except to levy a huge property tax. Which would just raise everybody’s property tax rates and cause another round of foreclosures,” Duggan said.
People who conducted the meeting are insisting that people are still being overtaxed.
“Still to this day, right now, people who have homes that are below $30,000 are still being over assessed,” Sheffield said.
Next Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. there will be a City Council meeting further discussion the scandal.