City Assessor

Hastings City Assessor

City Assessor – Debra Rashid
Assessing Assistant – Heidi Gartley

The Assessing Department is responsible for listing each parcel of real estate and each personal property account located within the city for the purpose of creating and maintaining an assessment roll. The assessment roll is the basis for calculating property taxes and must comply with the General Property Tax Law, Public Act 206 of 1893.

The Assessor’s Office collects, maintains, and distributes information on approximately 2800 real property parcels and 600 personal property “parcels”. This information is organized and analyzed to create each year’s assessment roll. In conjunction with mass appraisal there are many related functions such as market analysis, sales studies, rent studies, and land value studies.

In pursuit of these responsibilities, the Assessor’s Office:

• Prepares regular and special assessment tax rolls.
• Works with other departments on various projects.
• Maintains a database of real and personal property owners, including their mailing addresses.
• Maintains a file on each real property that includes structure photos and drawings, a building sketch, recent building permits, and a history of recent ownership transfers.
• Maintains personal property records of businesses. For example, a building may be owned by one entity, yet a number of businesses lease space and own personal property within the building.
• Assists owners, real estate brokers, appraisers, and members of the business community, as well as various other agencies, as they seek information about properties located in the City of Hastings.
• Processes land division and combination applications; reviewing for compliance with documentation (e.g. surveys, if required), payment of proper fees, other state and local regulations including City of Hastings’ zoning requirements.
• Processes transfer instruments and Property Transfer Affidavits when Barry County provides deeds or land contracts indicating a change in ownership.
• Processes Principal Residence Exemption Affidavits for owners who occupy their property, enabling them to receive a property tax reduction.
• Keeps the public informed concerning property assessment and property tax laws.
• Helps the public understand market value as it relates to their property. Assessed value should represent 50% of market value (usual selling price of an arm’s length sale).
• Helps the public understand taxable value as it relates to their property taxes and helps taxpayers understand capped and un-capped taxable value.
• Assigns property addresses in the City of Hastings.
• Receives complaints concerning assessed and taxable values, year around, but especially during February and March.
• Assists formal Board of Review in March to hear property taxpayer’s concerns.
• Receives complaints in response to tax bills produced in July and December.
• Defends assessed values before the Michigan Tax Tribunal.
• Visits properties to review records, as part of a continuous effort to maintain accuracy and keep up to date. Fieldwork is also done to verify building permit information.