Commission Waives Old Property Fees

bentonharborcityhall1-50
bentonharborcityhall1-50

Benton Harbor City Commissioners have opted to give a break to some property owners, along with the city’s own assessment department. At Tuesday’s meeting, the commission narrowly approved a request from City Manager Darwin Watson to waive some old fees faced by property owners who did not file paperwork with the assessor in a timely fashion when their property changed hands. Watson said there are a large number of fees going back years in those cases.

“What we’re saying is that for all of the transactions that have transpired prior to 2019, January 1, we would waive those fees or those fines for previous years,” Watson said.

Commissioner Sharon Henderson said she agreed waiving the old fees was the best way to get caught up.

“Coming in and starting fresh is what we need to do on this particular issue,” Henderson said.

Other commissioners disagreed, saying it doesn’t matter if the assessor lacks the staff to get caught up on those old unpaid charges. Commissioner Juanita Henry said many of the affected property owners are businesses. Watson said he wanted to waive the old fees, and then stay on top of new ones by notifying owners of violations.