Deputy Assessor

The Charter Township of Shelby is accepting applications for the position of Deputy Assessor. Applications with proof of education, experience, MMAO and PPE certification, and a valid driver's license will be accepted until 05/03/2025. Pay rate as of July 1, 2025 - $83,833 - $96,690 per year.

Employment Status: Full-time

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt

Experience Required: Minimum four (4) years in property appraisal and assessment administration

Minimum Education Requirements: High school graduation or equivalent; associate degree in related field preferred.

Certification/Licensing: Michigan Master Assessing Officer (MMAO) Certification, Michigan Certified Personal Property Examiner (MCPPE), Valid Driver's License

Direct Supervisor: Township Assessor

Supervisory Responsibility: Yes

People Supervised: Direct (2), Indirect (3) Supervise and/or train employees in the same classification or lower depending on the task.

Physical Requirements: Visual and hearing acuity, able to walk, stand, bend, and perform field work if required.

Primary Work Location: Office Environment and outdoors at property sites.

Job Summary:

Under the supervision of the Township Assessor, the Deputy Assessor is responsible for supervising and reviewing the appraisal of all real and personal property classifications in the township, to determine fair and equitable assessed values and to calculate taxable values which will determine the amount of property taxes that are paid by the township's property owners. The Deputy Assessor is responsible for assisting in the preparation of the annual real and personal property and special acts assessment rolls that are submitted to Macomb County and the State of Michigan. The Deputy Assessor may attend the Boards of Review (BOR) and represent the township before the Michigan Tax Tribunal (MTT) and the State Tax Commission (STC) in matters relating to property values, classification, and a number of property exemption issues. The Deputy Assessor is responsible for assisting in the preparation of real and personal property assessment notices and BOR change notices.

Essential Job Functions

An employee in this position may be called upon to perform any or all of the following essential duties:

• Prepare and maintain the annual real and personal property assessment rolls, property classifications, property descriptions, special acts assessment rolls and other records including establishing procedures to update all of these records.
• Maintain the township assessment records and assessment rolls in compliance with all applicable tax laws including all State Tax Commission (STC) rules and regulations.
• Confirm that the mass appraisal methods and procedures employed in the Assessing Department are all in compliance with the uniform standards of professional appraisal practice and the rules of the State Tax Commission's Assessor's manual.
• Supervise the administration of all local property exemption programs including the Principal Residence Exemption (PRE), poverty exemption, disabled veterans' exemption, industrial facilities tax exemption, personal property exemptions, qualified agricultural exemption, eligible developmental property exemption and exemptions for non-profit religious, educational, and charitable institutions.

• Review all tax abatement applications, visit industrial sites, prepare, and submit required information to the township Board of Trustees, attend public hearings and assemble and mail approval or denial packets to the State Tax Commission. Coordinate the Assessing Department's request for required reports for approved industrial facilities tax exemption certificates (IFEC) with the certificate holder.
• Review legal descriptions and property tax capture information for all locally filed brownfield plans for redevelopment projects located in the township. Work in conjunction with the Planning Department and Treasurer's Office to confirm base values and administer the procedures required to capture and report all taxable values.
• Serve as the department's primary contact with legal counsel in the defense of all property tax appeals filed against the township at the Michigan Tax Tribunal (MTT). Defend the township's position in all appeals filed in the Efntire Tribunal division, negotiate settlements with petitioners and appear before the Tribunal to defend all appeals. Review settlements for residential small claims appeals with the Appraiser III and report estimated MTT property tax losses to the finance director.
• Supervise all submitted special assessment applications filed with the township including certifying signatures on petitions, preparing sufficiency calculations, calculating benefit amounts for properties, attending public hearings, preparing required documents for other departments, and entering all approval information.
• Serve as the administrator for all change of legal description (split) applications including assembling and distributing submitted applications, serving as the liaison between applicants and all local split review departments, completing approval or denial paperwork, submitting all approved applications to Macomb County, monitoring parcel number assignments and forwarding information to applicants.
• Review written legal descriptions and parcel maps for all proposed condominium master deed submissions under the direction of the township Planning Department.
• Create new parcels in the assessing system for approved split applications or recorded condominium master deeds. Create reports detailing the assessed and taxable values before and after the creation of "child" parcels, the retirement of "parent" parcels and enter all new property information into the appraisal system.
• Review all submitted site plan applications, create property information packets, submit reviews to the Planning Department and distribute to the appraisal staff. Review all submitted applications for certificates of zoning compliance for new businesses in the township and update the information summary tracking report.
• Track all assessed and taxable value (PRE and NON-PRE) changes from after the March Board of Review until the township delivers the tax roll to Macomb County.
• Supervise the preparation of residential, commercial, and industrial real property sales ratio studies, review commercial and industrial appraisal studies prepared by the Macomb County Equalization Department and confirm all assessment ratios.
• Prepare commercial, industrial, and residential property two (2) year vacant land studies and determine land value changes for all three real property classes. Prepare the commercial and industrial real property ECF studies and enter values. Run reports after ECFs to ensure assessment class ratios are all at required levels. Prepare valuation reports for all types of commercial building ECF neighborhoods.
• Supervise the apartment complex rent survey, use results to update the apartment complex unit detail reports, create an apartment valuation study and apartment valuation guidelines report, enter apartment complex income, expense and capitalization rate information into the appraisal system and prepare a report summarizing the assessed and taxable value changes for all apartment complexes.
• Train personnel in methods and techniques of assessing.
• Supervise and monitor work performance of Assessing Department staff.
• Performs related work as required.

Knowledge / Skills / Abilities

An employee in this class must have the following knowledge, skills, and abilities upon application:

Knowledge

• Modern office practices and procedures.
• Michigan State Tax Law and Statutes related to assessment administration.
• State of Michigan guidelines and procedures of assessment administration.
• Principles and practices of advanced mass appraisal and assessment.
• Assessing related economics, statistics, and accounting procedures.
• Thorough knowledge of the principles and practices of municipal government operations, township organizations, and related regulations and procedures.

Skills

• Proficient in the basic use of computers and computer programs currently utilized by the Township for word processing, spreadsheets and databases based on an evaluation examination as established by the Commission.
• Review and interpret building construction plans and drawings.
• Business writing and presentation skills to communicate effectively as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Active listening.
• Time management.
• Sound judgement and decision making to resolve problems in early stages.

Abilities

• Read and understand written property legal descriptions and parcel maps.
• Understand and follow written and oral instructions.
• Provide direction to subordinates and include them in strategic planning, provide regular feedback.
• Evaluate information and use individual judgment to determine whether events or processes are accurate and comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• Establish and maintain positive and effective working relationships with co-workers, elected officials, and the public.
• Express thoughts and ideas in written and spoken format effectively to others.
• Process numbers and calculations effectively.
• Demonstrate work accuracy.
• Monitor work for accuracy, develop ways to improve performance and apply feedback.

Only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted by the Human Resources Department. The Charter Township of Shelby provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.