Manchester City Hall, 912 City Rd

by Marsha Chartrand

On November 7, 2023, Village of Manchester voters approved the proposed City Charter that created the City of Manchester. All filings were completed on November 15, 2023, that allowed for the newly created City of Manchester to exist. The Mayor and City Council members were sworn into office on November 20, 2023.

That part is the “official” story, and it’s certainly no surprise to regular readers of the Mirror. But there’s more to the story that not only readers but City Council and administrators have found surprising.

This past weekend, City residents received their tax bills for Winter 2023. These tax bills came from Manchester Township. “What?”, you may ask. “Doesn’t becoming a City mean no longer pay taxes to the township?” The answer to the question takes us back to back to December 31, 2022.

“Taxpayers within the City of Manchester will be receiving tax bills for Winter 2023 from Manchester Township,” explained City Manager Michael Sessions. “Even though the Village of Manchester has become the City of Manchester, taxpayers are still liable for one more tax bill from Manchester Township, with those millages assessed upon taxpayers.”

He went on to explain that this is a determination by the Washtenaw County Treasurer’s Office, due to the tax warrants, challenges of organization of parcels, and for tax settlement. “They also claim that tax collection continued like this when the Cities of Chelsea and Dexter were established,” he added.

The reason for this is due to the General Property Tax Act and the date that 2023 property tax assessments and millages are determined. That date is December 31, 2022, which is commonly referred to as “Tax Day.” Since the City of Manchester was still the Village of Manchester on December 31, 2022, it is recognized as the Village of Manchester for the entire year of 2023, due to its status on Tax Day in 2022.

On the upcoming Tax Day — December 31, 2023 — the City of Manchester will be recognized by the state as a taxable entity and all tax bills from that time forward will come from the City.

Summer 2024 and Winter 2024 tax bills will be issued by the City of Manchester and payable at the Manchester City Offices at 912 City Rd.

So although surprising, residents of the new City can be assured that this bill is legitimate and that tax billing will work out in due time … which will be in 2024.