The Bloomfield Township Assessor’s Office led by Darrin Kraatz achieved a perfect score from the Audit of Minimum Assessing Requirements (AMAR). In 2015, the Michigan State Tax Commission created AMAR to evaluate uniform requirements in assessing across the state. The requirements are extensive and include confirming accurate land values, personal property records, economic conditions, policies, hardships and more. Failure to meet the minimum requirements results in a corrective action plan and a timeline to resolve the deficiencies.
This was of no concern for Bloomfield Township, who achieved a perfect score! Supervisor Dani Walsh has taken to calling the Assessing Department “Team Perfection” when commending the work done by the department.
“This is big news for us!” said Kraatz who has been with Bloomfield Township for 17 years of his 24 year career in assessing. “The Assessing Department is responsible for the preparation of the annual Assessment Roll which is completed in accordance with the General Property Tax Act (GPTA). The Assessing Department follows the GPTA and State Tax Commission (STC) guidelines in order to determine taxable status, true cash value, assessed value, and taxable value for all real and personal property within Bloomfield Township and Sylvan Lake.”
The Assessing Department is made up of a mix of veterans and new-comers: Jim Allen (23 years); Kathy Bono (19 years); Jennifer Werthman (1 year); Kristi Thompson (8 months). “Without this team, achieving a score perfect would be incredibly difficult,” said Kraatz in expressing pride for his co-workers.
Photo (Left to Right): Kristi Thompson, Kathy Bono, Jennifer Werthman, Darrin Kraatz. Not pictured: Jim Allen.