City residents will be asked to chang charter to extend tax collection deadline

A measure to extend the collection period for summer taxes will be placed on the November ballot in Rogers City. Clerk/treasurer Theresa Heinzel asked council to consider extending the tax collection period until September 14, without penalty. Per the city charter, city summer taxes are due and payable, July 1 through July 31. On August 1, the two percent penalty and interest at half percent per month is added to all unpaid taxes.

To make a change to the city charter, the question has to be put before a vote of city residents. Rogers City already has an election scheduled for November 4. The question will be placed on the same ballot at a minimal expense as the election costs are borne by the city.

?IT?S TO BE substantially kinder to the citizens than our current arrangement,? said mayor Beach Hall. ?And perhaps it may avoid considerable confusion.? A resolution was adopted directing the city attorney to prepare the necessary language, so the question can be placed on the city election ballot. Heinzel cited several reasons for requesting the change.

Beginning July 1, all State Education Taxes (SET) are collected in the summer at the current five mills; in July 2004, the full six mills for State Education will be on the summer bill. In the past, the city collected three mills in the summer and three mills in the winter, as well as the half-percent of the local school millage, if applicable. There also was a confusion with due dates.

STATE LAW provides that SET are payable September 14, without penalty, unless a city charter stipulates otherwise, as does Rogers City?s charter. Adding to the confusion: property owners in the townships must pay by September 14. City property owners must pay by July 31 to avoid penalties. Throughout the past years, city staff has been asked why the larger bills were due within 30 days and the smaller bill provided for payment from December 1 through February 14.

?Through my e-mail connection, I asked for tax collection dates and out of 35 cities responding, only three had the same collection period as Rogers City,? Heinzel stated in a memo to city manager John Bruning. ?The other 32 cities varied with due dates of August 15 to September 14.? County treasurer Pat Cornett supported the September due date, as it is expected that by 2005, there will only be one tax bill and it will be collected in the summer.

IN OTHER MATTERS to come before council: An update was given on work performed on the Industrial Park Infrastructure Project. Bruning said the project is proceeding well and is 30 percent completed. A progress payment request from Santa Fe Corporation of $290,664.32 was authorized.

? The Rogers City Board of Review will conduct a special meeting July 16 at 1 p.m. in council chambers for the purpose of correcting assessment calculation errors or mutual mistakes.

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The swim raft is in production and could be installed before the end of summer. A company that manufactures floating dock systems, similar to those in the Rogers City marina, is constructing the raft for the city. The raft would be located in Lake Huron, off the shore of the Lakeside Park beach, in six feet of water. The estimated cost is approximately $5,300, which is several hundred dollars cheaper than the city had budgeted, according to Bruning.

One member of council has heard from constituents who do not want to see the return of a swim raft, which has been absent from Rogers City for a decade-and-a-half.

?People have called me and have told me they don?t want the swim raft back because it only creates a lot of trouble out there,? said Greene. ?Hopefully, we can avoid some of that,? said Hall.