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Detroit Evening Report: City Council says new study disproves claims of systemic overassessments in Detroit

An independent study by the International Association of Assessing Officers has found that claims of systemic overassessments in Detroit are false, the city reported on Wednesday.

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City Council members requested the third party study after a University of Chicago study found that between April 1, 2023 to March 14, 2024, approximately 65% of the lowest value homes in Detroit — residential properties sold between $3,400 and $34,700 — were assessed over 50% of their market value.

City Assessment Director Alvin Horhn says the latest study proves those claims to be false.

“The [International Association of Assessing Officers] study shows Detroit residential property assessments at the level (50% of market value) required by State law — a fact which has been annually confirmed by the Wayne County Equalization Department,” he said. “This puts the issue to rest once and for all.” 

Over a two-year period the Coalition of Property Tax Justice has appealed hundreds of properties. But Horhn says most of those appeals were denied.

“I think that’s as telling as anything else,” he said. “They’re making these claims of overassessments, but even the ones that they appeal themselves, they overwhelmingly lose.”

The report will soon be presented to city council.

Other headlines for Thursday, April 17, 2025:

  • The Michigan Department of Transportation is reminding drivers that the department does not operate toll roads after a recent text scam regarding unpaid tolls to MDOT.
  • The Detroit Institute of Arts is bringing back its Inside|Out  program for its 16th year. The program brings reproductions of the DIA’s collection to outdoor spaces across Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne counties.
  • The DIA is also presenting the 88th Annual Detroit Public Schools Community District Student Art Exhibition April 18 through May 25. The exhibition will feature a diverse array of artwork from paintings to drawings, photography, ceramics, and more.
  • The Home Depot Foundation is expanding a former nursery nunnery on Detroit’s west side into a transitional housing facility for women and veterans in need. Updates were made to All Things Women Inc.’s facility on Thursday, with 100 volunteers participating.

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The post Detroit Evening Report: City Council says new study disproves claims of systemic overassessments in Detroit appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.

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