East Michigan News

Michigan state Rep. Roger Hauck (R-Union Township) recently voiced support for a proposal he voted to advance that would give local governments authority to grant taxpayers greater flexibility in meeting their 2020 property tax obligations.

The legislation comes at a crucial time for Midland County, where a community already struggling with the economic crisis created by COVID-19 restrictions was forced to evacuate more than 10,000 residents due to flooding following breaches in the Edenville and Sanford Dams along the Tittabawassee River, a release issued on the Michigan House Republicans website said.

The flooding was so severe that it was declared a 500-year flood by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which means the agency considers there to be only a 1-in-500 chance of such a flood occurring in any given year.

The state has estimated the damage caused by the flooding to be approximately $175 million, with more than 2,500 homes destroyed or damaged, the release said.

Under Senate Bill 943, local governments would be given the option of permitting temporary property tax deferrals without any penalties to the taxpayers. The bill is similar to another piece of legislation that received strong bipartisan support in both the House and Senate, but which Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vetoed.

“I was surprised the governor opted not to grant this needed relief considering the broad, bipartisan support it enjoyed when it went through the House and Senate before,” Hauck said in the release. “People are struggling to pay bills and put food on the table for their families as they deal with a pandemic and – for some areas of the state – historical flooding. They have experienced disruptions through no fault of their own. My vote on this plan is a continued commitment to giving people some peace of mind where we can.”