Why is the Property Description Division attached to the Equalization Department?

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Historically, owing to its specialized drafting staff and resources, Washtenaw County Equalization had functioned to produce and maintain tax maps for local unit Assessing Offices.  In 1983, Equalization centrally coordinated an effort to map every property in the county, based on deeded legal descriptions.  For those jurisdictions that may not have had the resources to maintain tax maps at the local level and which opted for county assistance, Equalization assumed responsibility for upkeep of this map.  Today at Equalization, mapping is maintained electronically using geographic information systems (GIS) software, specifically ESRI ArcMap.  The scope of the county’s mapping capabilities has widened to include the needs of other departments, but Property Description’s parcel and cadastral maintenance remains a critical—and, one might argue, the single most important—component of the map’s framework.  Per MCL 211.10e, maintenance of the tax map remains a function specifically assigned to assessing officials.  MapWashtenaw, the interactive property line map, is available online for free to the public, and paper maps can still be produced in-office for a fee.  Note that this linework is only approximate and is not intended to supersede a survey.

Show All Answers

1. Why did someone from the Equalization Department visit my property?
2. Is Equalization the same as my Assessor?
3. Will Equalization raise my taxes?
4. What is an Equalization Study?
5. Why was my property chosen for the current Equalization Study?
6. Can I refuse to participate in an Equalization Study?
7. How is an Equalization Study conducted?
8. What is County Equalization and the Equalization Report?
9. Where do I submit my Property Transfer Affidavit, PA 260 affidavit, or homestead exemption affidavit?
10. Aside from Equalization, how does assessing work in the State of Michigan generally?
11. What is the Apportionment Report?
12. Why is the Property Description Division attached to the Equalization Department?
13. How do I split or combine my property?