Thursday, January 29, 2009  Dorr Township Assessment Challenges
Yesterday I collected information from Dorr Township Assessor
Kelli Myers, so imagine my surprise to see this morning's front-
page headline in the Northwest Herald: "Assessment challenges
stun county."  In response to questions, Kelli informed me that
there are 9,421 properties assessed in Dorr Township. How many
appeals were there this past time around? 104.  One hundred
four. Only 104? Out of 9,421. Slightly over 1% of the property
owners challenged their assessments? When I expressed my
surprise that only 104 property owners had appealed their
assessments, I learned that this is four times the previous
number of appeals. So, in a past year only about 25 (out of
9,421) appealed?  Does this reflect the ignorance of property
owners on the process? Procrastination? Or just sheer
hopelessness for any chance of success in an appeal?  Because
sales of real estate have plummeted and fair market value has
dropped substantially, why didn't more propert