Writer says tax rate education in order

This letter is in response to the letter recently written by Lynn Yackley ("Dissatisfied with millage passage," Resorter, May 21, 2009)regarding nonhomestead taxes being "unfair." First of all, thank you for the fact that you are wealthy enough to own a second home in our area. However, an education is in order. Do you not understand that your school district also charges people who own a second home there? I guess I am not sure why you believe the rules should apply to everyone but you. While we appreciate that you bring money into our area, we would like to get the same respect that you want from us - please do a little research before you write an incensed letter.

This is not a "Houghton Lake" law, or even a "Northern Michigan" law, but actually applies to the entire state of Michigan. Anyone who is at least 33 years old today and was a resident of the state in 1994 had an opportunity to vote on this law. The problem is, most people only saw the part about property tax increases being capped. There is a way for you to compare homestead and non-homestead tax rates for the entire state. I would encourage everyone, residents and non-residents alike, to visit the following web site https://treas-secure. state.mi.us/ptestimator/PTEstimator.asp to see what first home rates (homestead) and second home rates (non-homestead) are in all areas in Michigan. You will see that having a second home in our area versus an area downstate is actually a deal as far as taxes go.

For instance, a home with an SEV of $85,000 in Rochester Community School District would be taxed at $2,592 as a homestead but $4,122 as a nonhomestead. A home with the same SEV in Gerrish Township, Gerrish-Higgins School District would be taxed at $1,853 for homestead and $3,375 for non-homestead. From this information you can see two things: 1) the same rules apply to all school districts in the state of Michigan and 2) it is cheaper to have a house of equal value here be considered nonhomestead than one downstate.

I would love to see a letter of apology from Ms. Yackley, who is so rude as to think that we are trying to "stick it to them," but I am pretty sure that will not happen. Unfortunately, visitors with poor attitudes and not enough information sometimes make it difficult for us to see that the vast majority of the nonresidents who come here are truly good people who have a lot to offer our community, regardless of where they call home.

Jennifer Anderson Roscommon