Assessing

The principal purpose of the Assessing Department is to annually identify of all the real and personal properties in the City, determine the taxable status and uniformly assess those that are subject to property tax in accordance with the General Property Tax Laws. These taxes are a major source of funding to the local government and the public schools.

The Assessing Department maintains records of all properties in the City.  These records include sketches of structures, amenities of the properties, photos, lists of building permits, history of transfers in ownership, principal residential exemptions, and mapping of parcels.  This information is acquired from deeds recorded at the register of deeds at the County of Jackson and from unrecorded documents that are brought to our office.

Source for Land & Building Data

The department also serves the real estate community as a valuable source of land and building data. Real estate agents, land title examiners, developers, and buyers and sellers of real estate use city records to do research on property values.

The city’s assessing data can also be viewed online. Information available at this website includes property assessments, property tax information, water and sewer billing, and miscellaneous receivables.

Tax exemptions that are available include:

If you have any questions regarding the responsibilities of the department, you can always contact us.

  1. Why does my assessment change every year?
  2. What is taxable value?
  3. How can my taxable value go up when my assessed value goes down?
  4. How do I find out about delinquent taxes?
  5. How do I learn more about the Tax Foreclosure Auction?
  6. Understanding Your Assessment Notice
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