A Benton Harbor attorney is drawing attention to communication issues at Benton Harbor City Hall after she had a rough time getting a response from staff about an issue faced by one of her clients.
Speaking to the Benton Harbor City Commission this week, attorney Elizabeth McCree said she was recently contacted by several city residents who found themselves on the Berrien County foreclosure list for failure to pay property taxes. She specifically worked with one resident, who is a relative, and said that homeowner was able to demonstrate that she paid the money owed on her taxes.
McCree said the woman first paid $1,000 and then paid the remaining $125 to get caught up, and she could prove it. So, McCree set about getting her removed from the foreclosure list.
“I submitted the bank statement to the county treasurer and the city official almost three weeks ago now,” McCree said. “Again, the county treasurer immediately responded and said, ‘Great, I’m waiting to hear from the city of Benton Harbor.'”
However, McCree said city staff were totally unresponsive, not returning any of her calls for three weeks. Then she was told the city disputed what she told the county treasurer.
“The city did not call me, but for three weeks has been saying that I submitted fraudulent paperwork for $125 for a home that was on the foreclosure list. Not one person has called me from the city. That is completely and totally unacceptable. I would not risk my bar license over $125.”
McCree said Berrien County Treasurer Shelly Weich later spoke with the county corporate counsel, and they determined they could remove the property in question from the foreclosure list without that communication from the city of Benton Harbor. So it appears McCree’s client, a woman with children, is out of the woods. However, McCree wanted to know what was going to be done at city hall about the handling of the situation.
McCree did get a call from City Manager Alex Little on Monday, but was in court and couldn’t take it. Mayor Marcus Muhammad promised McCree the city “will resolve this matter expeditiously.”
