In battleground Michigan, two swing counties may determine which presidential candidate will clinch the state’s 15 Electoral College votes.
Oakland and Kent counties have undergone major demographic changes over the past two decades. Both used to be Republican strongholds, but growth in the Detroit suburbs and the city of Grand Rapids turned the counties from red to blue in 2020.
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Michigan lawmakers continue to condemn Oakland County for polluting nearby waterways, demanding the county end its decades-old practice of dumping wastewater overflow through drains that empty into nearby waterways.
“Protecting our waterways and strengthening our infrastructure is one of the most important responsibilities that elected officials in Michigan have, whether we serve at the local or state level,” Rep. Donni Steele, R-Orion, said Monday. “Oakland County officials can’t claim to care about the environment while they continue to put residents and wildlife at risk through this dangerous practice.”
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A new Michigan policy could cost Oakland and Macomb county households thousands in higher property taxes.
The Michigan House recently approved House Bill 4177, seeking to subsidize two nonprofit museums run through the Wright and Detroit Historical Societies. Because they likely could not stay open through admission fees and donations alone, Oakland and Macomb County residents would pay up to $200,000 in property taxes over the next 10 years.
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Eight homeowners in Michigan filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals against Oakland County Treasurer Andrew Meisner.
The suit contends that the foreclosure process is unconstitutional, as the government has taken property for delinquent property taxes and other fees without providing fair equity to the owners.
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A Detroit lawmaker is pitching up to a 20-year, additional 0.4 mill tax hike to Wayne and Oakland County residents to fund museums – similar to the Detroit Institute of Art tax.
Sen. Marshall Bullock, D-Detroit, sponsored Senate Bill 653 that would apply only to counties with a population over one million – narrowing to the above two counties to fund the Detroit Historical Society and the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.
Bullock’s office hasn’t responded to multiple requests by The Center Square for comment.
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The Michigan tax code is finally aligned with a 2020 Michigan Supreme Court ruling that prohibited county treasurers from pocketing excess equity when foreclosing on tax-delinquent homes.
The ruling followed Oakland County seizing Uri Rafaeli’s property in 2014 over an initial tax debt of $8.41, which rose to $285.81 after interest, penalties, and fees.
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A Detroiter filed a class-action lawsuit against Wayne County on Thursday, claiming officials foreclosed on her home, sold it at less than half the market value, and then pocketed the proceeds.
Philip L. Ellison, an attorney at Hemlock-based Outside Legal Counsel, and others filed the lawsuit Thursday in the U.S. Eastern District Court on behalf of Tonya Bowles, who lost her East State property to foreclosure in 2017.
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U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and John Kennedy (R-LA) applauded Senate passage of their bipartisan resolution designating Sept. 11-17 as Patriot Week.
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The Patriot Week Foundation is marking its 10th anniversary by hosting a series of events in Oakland County, Michigan, throughout September to promote the Constitution and American civics.
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A resignation reversal has caused a stir in the Oakland County Board of Commissioners, according to a report from the Detroit Free Press.
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