Michigan Tax Tribunal talk draws a full house

MARQUETTE — Since the Peter White Public Library shut its doors on Sunday’s due to budget cuts, people have become very interested in how the Michigan Tax Tribunal works and functions. Those questions were answered tonight in front of a packed house at the library.

The library hosted an information session about the Michigan Tax Tribunal. A panel of five people talked about what the Tax Tribunal does, how it operates, and how its actions and outcomes affect local governments and municipalities.

The 90-minute session also gave the panel members a chance to answer questions that members of the community had about the Tax Tribunal.

“I think that the Tax Tribunal issue has been kicking around for quite a while, but people never really understood it until the library announced that it would be closing,” said PWPL Director Pam Christensen. “People have decided that this is really going to effect their life.”

“The more information that we can get out just adds a little to the understanding and people realize that decisions made by the tax tribunal in these big box evaluation cases have a real impact across the community,” said Marquette Township Supervisor Dennis Liimatta. “It’s not a Marquette Township Issue, it’s not a Breitung Township Issue, it’s a State of Michigan issue.”

“Most people outside of this region aren’t aware of it,” said State Representative John Kivela. “Seeing this kind of turnout shows that this tide is turning and the momentum is starting to build. It’s only going to help us down in Lansing.”