Berrien County government has completed its state-required property tax foreclosure work for 2023. By state law, the county must report the number of foreclosures and proceeds after the sale of foreclosed properties. Berrien County Treasurer Shelly Weich says for the 86 auctioned properties that year, $330,240.72 in back taxes were owed.
After foreclosure auctions, $1,566,056.61 million was collected. Not all that money goes directly to the county; Weich says state law now allows foreclosed property owners to claim the excess after any tax liens are satisfied. For 2023, the county paid out $460,465.39 in claims and netted $748,179.71 on top of taxes owed.
Weich says that money will stay in the county’s foreclosure fund to potentially be used to settle litigation related to excess proceeds claims from prior years. The money could also be transferred to the general fund to cover shortfalls.
The treasurer also responded to questions related to a recent push by supporters of putting an initiative on Michigan’s 2026 ballot to completely eliminate property taxes. AxMITax initiative supporters claim too many property owners are losing their property because of tax foreclosure. Treasurer Weich says the state requires the county to foreclose on those who don’t pay their taxes, but there are many steps and safeguards in place before that happens.
“It’s a three-year process. They are getting certified letters. They are getting first-class letters. They go to the owner, to the occupant of the home. It goes to the property address. Whatever addresses and names we have on file, that’s who’s getting a letter. And we do a title search that’s a 40-year search,” said Weich.
Weich says anytime during the three-year foreclosure process, a property owner can set up a payment plan to get current and as long as payments are made, foreclosure does not move forward. AxMITax initiative supporters say essential local services like police, fire, 9-1-1, and schools would survive a property tax elimination because the state would be directed to increase the amount of tax revenue sent to local governments, though that would require the legislature to come to agreement on the distribution formulas and tax rates.
