The Assessing Department is responsible for the inventory of all property within Cascade Township and the valuation of all of its taxable property. We maintain records of current ownership, assessed and taxable values, property characteristics and market data. This office follows the requirements of the General Property Tax Law of the State of Michigan.
Assessors must be certified by the State Tax Commission (STC) in Lansing. The STC certifies individuals at Master (MMAO), Advanced (MAAO) or Certified (MCAO) based on education, experience and examination. MMAO is the highest rating. Municipalities are required to have an assessor whose certification is at least equivalent to the SAB’s standard based on total valuation and complexity of the unit of government.
Cascade Township ranks fourth in Kent County by total State Equalized Value (SEV). The cities of Grand Rapids, Wyoming and Kentwood are valued higher.
Cascade’s Assessing Department employs a Township Assessor, Jennifer Genter, Michigan Master Assessing Officer (MMAO), a Deputy Assessor, Holly Benedict, Michigan Advanced Assessing Officer (MAAO), a Residential Appraiser, Shawn Holzhei, Michigan Certified Assessing Officer (MCAO), and an Assessing Technician, Chelsey Seif, Michigan Certified Assessing Technician (MCAT).
Did You Know?
- Annual changes of assessment are based on sales in the neighborhood. We have at least 75 sales neighborhoods in Cascade. Your neighborhood rarely consists of just the homes on your street.
- Your taxable value can never exceed your assessed value.
- Principal Residence Exemptions that are in effect January 1 each year stay in effect for the calendar year.
- The June 1 filing deadline for Principal Residence Exemptions applies to new applications only. You do not need to reapply each year.
- The assessor is not permitted by State Law to set your new assessment at one half of your purchase price.
- It is your responsibility as a taxpayer to review your property record card periodically to be sure you agree with all the information that is currently of record.
- The assessing staff is available Monday thru Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Feel free to come in or call (616) 949-6176 if you have any questions on your property. The assessing system is quite complex, and we are always willing to help our taxpayers understand how the system works.
The Cascade Township Assessing Department has moved to an updated cost manual to price out residences and assess home values. The Michigan State Tax Commission required that all units use the new manual starting this year. The updated manual contains 2014 data, compared with the previous manual from 2003. Communities throughout the state are working to make the same update so costs are better aligned with today’s market value and economy.
As a result of this mandate, homeowners may see an increase or decrease in their home assessments and related taxes. The updated manual provides more current costs based on today’s market. Please note component costs have not uniformly increased or decreased, so each household may see a variance in the percentage of property value change compared with previous years.
The purpose of this update is to obtain a more accurate value in the property, which will result from using the more current costs.
For additional details on the updated manual, please visit the Michigan Department of Treasury website here: michigan.gov/treasury/0,4679,7-121-1751_2228-423932--,00.html
Assessing Terms
True Cash Value: The estimated market value of your property.
Assessed Value: One half of the true cash value.
Taxable Value: The value capped by Proposal A that is multiplied by the millage rate to calculate your tax bill.
One mill: One dollar per thousand dollars of taxable value.
Principal Residence Exemption: An 18 mill reduction in property taxes on your primary residence and any contiguous vacant parcels you own.
Property Record Card: Contains owner name and address, legal description, sales history, assessment history, picture of home, building sketch with square footage and other value-enhancing amenities.