One-Fifth of Detroit's Population Could Lose Their Homes

[Willi]

Are the systems really broken, or are folks too lazy to search them out, or are they really hidden from mainstream media and the residents ?

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/...-homes/381694/

It is a 3 page article , hitting many valuable points

[401don]

Excellent, well-written article. Like the water problem, it's obviously a combination of problems on both sides. I think there are far more elderly and uneducated people who lack the ability to search out and fight for possible solutions rather than simply lazy. Also charging high penalty fees of 18% only compounds a problem rather than acting as a deterrent or increasing revenues.

[ABetterDetroit]

Stupid high property taxes can have a pile of negative effects including flight, abandonment, loss of equity, disrepair, blight, sprawl, and of course foreclosure. https://treas-secure.state.mi.us/pte...testimator.asp

[Willi]

A city has to run on "something" and Property Taxes provide a big chunk of the puzzle

[jt1]

I believe, in the city of Detroit, property taxes account for about 6 percent of all revenues. Cutting taxes would have little impact on the bottom line.

[Willi]

In the fourth quarter of its fiscal year 2014, the city of Detroit projected it
would bring in $55 million in property taxes.
Instead, it collected just $6.7 million, about $48.3 million short of what it expected.

People simply are NOT paying their property taxes.
“It's a combination of many factors,” said Bill Nowling, spokesman for Orr.
“Clearly, collections is an issue, but so it is the assessment process itself.
In many cases, the city is carrying assessments for properties that are
blighted or abandoned and those amounts go into making up that $55 million number.”

[jt1]

In the fourth quarter of its fiscal year 2014, the city of Detroit projected it
would bring in $55 million in property taxes.
Instead, it collected just $6.7 million, about $48.3 million short of what it expected.

People simply are NOT paying their property taxes.
“It's a combination of many factors,” said Bill Nowling, spokesman for Orr.
“Clearly, collections is an issue, but so it is the assessment process itself.
In many cases, the city is carrying assessments for properties that are
blighted or abandoned and those amounts go into making up that $55 million number.”

Incomplete information: That was based upon collecting a lot in back taxes, it does not represent the total property tax and the true collection rate.

perhaps you admired too much art at Wayne State.

[Richard]

They seem to be pushing the using the auction back tax loophole,and saying not enough know about it.

That loophole has been closed as of last year.One would hope nobody reads that and try's it as a last resort.

[Willi]

Anyone clue me in on why my original TITLES keep changing
--people post all sort of stuff from Clown-Cil for council, etc., etc.
and when I post a TITLE; it gets changed to be more PC.
Is this a PC forum...scroll around a bit and you'll find its not nearly politically correct

This may speak directly to Detroit's poor education system for over a Generation of people
It failed them then, and now it reaps dividends in a continuing dumbing-down of society

far more elderly and uneducated people who lack the ability to search out and fight for possible solutions rather than simply lazy.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

^^ You've got a point....

[Islandman]

Anyone clue me in on why my original TITLES keep changing
--people post all sort of stuff from Clown-Cil for council, etc., etc.
and when I post a TITLE; it gets changed to be more PC.
Is this a PC forum...scroll around a bit and you'll find its not nearly politically correct

This may speak directly to Detroit's poor education system for over a Generation of people
It failed them then, and now it reaps dividends in a continuing dumbing-down of society

Perhaps you're """"""right"""""".

[Richard]

Anyone clue me in on why my original TITLES keep changing
--people post all sort of stuff from Clown-Cil for council, etc., etc.
and when I post a TITLE; it gets changed to be more PC.
Is this a PC forum...scroll around a bit and you'll find its not nearly politically correct

This may speak directly to Detroit's poor education system for over a Generation of people
It failed them then, and now it reaps dividends in a continuing dumbing-down of society

Maybe the owner of the site felt that your subjects were so informative that the titles should be changed to reflect the subject matter so two years down the road when a search is performed it produces the intended results.

You should feel special that he has chosen your posts to be entered into the annuals of the dyes archives,instead of the PC correct direction.

Is it the dumbing of Amercia or the increased inability to walk in another mans shoes.

[gvidas]

In the linked article, someone who was interviewed made the point that vacancies due to foreclosure directly lead to blight.

A little bit of armchair math suggests that the $850m headed to widespread demolition could have a substantial impact on keeping families in their houses.

In 2013 [[the easiest numbers I could dig up), 18910 properties were foreclosed due to unpaid taxes, with a total unpaid bill of about $265m. That's $14k per property.

In the OP's linked article, they say 85,000 properties in Detroit, half of which are occupied. So let's say 43k properties at $14k/ea = $602 million.

You can probably whittle that down substantially if this magical grant I'm proposing is only available to owner-occupied houses [[any slumlords not paying their taxes are on their own, etc.)

[Willi]

I truly prefered the """Who is ""working "" the system""" as it pertained
to people UNABLE to help themselves by merely reading or searching out help.
I don't care about the 1/5th part or the 20% part at all - it could be 2% , etc.

Some people didn't learn enough in their educational upbringing,
to seek out help, especially when they need it most, in dire situations,
like loosing their house, apartment, condo, etc.

Attempting to learn - is work - and some appear to avoid it.

[Richard]

I truly prefered the """Who is ""working "" the system""" as it pertained
to people UNABLE to help themselves by merely reading or searching out help.
I don't care about the 1/5th part or the 20% part at all - it could be 2% , etc.

Some people didn't learn enough in their educational upbringing,
to seek out help, especially when they need it most, in dire situations,
like loosing their house, apartment, condo, etc.

Attempting to learn - is work - and some appear to avoid it.

I do not think it has anything to do with educationial upbringing at all,people have been losing caves,houses,and condos from day one and in all incomes and educationial levels.Even the homestead act had its limitations and that land was free.

It is not a complicated system pay or go if you do not put gas in the car it goes nowhere.

The biggest problems that killed what was put in place or was the intent of became politics like these funds are used for foreclosure assistance but we need you vote so spend them as you wish once you get them.

[sumas]

Sigh. The people who need help are old or handicapped in some fashion. So many posts on this thread frankly make no sense. Help folk who need it and being tired of being PC fuck the rest. Actually I don't mean that. Frankly evicting people just leads to more arson, vandalism, crime. Try for some kindness A little less hate Detroit because you hate your life might be in order.

[jt1]

Sigh. The people who need help are old or handicapped in some fashion. So many posts on this thread frankly make no sense. Help folk who need it and being tired of being PC fuck the rest. Actually I don't mean that. Frankly evicting people just leads to more arson, vandalism, crime. Try for some kindness A little less hate Detroit because you hate your life might be in order.

It's easier for some to condemn and entire city and hundreds of thousands of people based upon, likely bigoted, assumptions and news snippets.

A few people are really making this board insufferable and are clearly pushing an agenda with no idea what they are talking about or are completely disingenuous in their posts.

All forums need opposing viewpoints but the few have really ruined this forum.

[Willi]

So is the system at fault - or are people not educated enough to use it ?

According to estimates by The National Institute for Literacy, roughly 47 percent of adults in Detroit, Michigan -- 200,000 total -- are "functionally illiterate," meaning they have trouble with reading, speaking, writing and computational skills. Even more surprisingly, the Detroit Regional Workforce finds half of that illiterate population has obtained a high school degree.

[Gistok]

A few people are really making this board insufferable and are clearly pushing an agenda with no idea what they are talking about or are completely disingenuous in their posts.

All forums need opposing viewpoints but the few have really ruined this forum.

Amen to that....

[jt1]

Amen to that....

Hopefully I'm not part of the few

[Willi]

It's a forum , open to the public, where opinions are expressed -- or is it a cheerleading site ?

[admin]

Anyone clue me in on why my original TITLES keep changing
--people post all sort of stuff from Clown-Cil for council, etc., etc.
and when I post a TITLE; it gets changed to be more PC.
Is this a PC forum...scroll around a bit and you'll find its not nearly politically correct

I truly prefered the """Who is ""working "" the system""" as it pertained

Thread titles on this forum must describe the subject of the thread. Period.

Yours did not.

Members do not want to waste their time clicking into a thread to read something that may not interest them.

We do not want to waste our time dealing with complaints about non-descriptively titled threads and having to re-write them.

That is a condition for participating on this cost-free forum. If a thread author doesn't describe the subject of the thread in the title, we will.

[Willi]

Nice to know the forum is moderated, administrated and looked at periodically.
Thanks for the explanation Admin, it has been duly noted.

[Gpwrangler]

Sigh. The people who need help are old or handicapped in some fashion. So many posts on this thread frankly make no sense. Help folk who need it and being tired of being PC fuck the rest. Actually I don't mean that. Frankly evicting people just leads to more arson, vandalism, crime. Try for some kindness A little less hate Detroit because you hate your life might be in order.

An earlier post estimated the percentage of revenue generated by the taxes owed to be very low. I'm not in favor of a free ride but is it really necessary to displace elderly folks and leave the homes open to scrappers?

[Detroitnerd]

An earlier post estimated the percentage of revenue generated by the taxes owed to be very low. I'm not in favor of a free ride but is it really necessary to displace elderly folks and leave the homes open to scrappers?

I can only guess that this is the goal: Getting the people who live in Detroit to leave, demolishing their empty houses, and salting the earth so that nothing may grow again.