By CECILIA BROWN

Journal Staff Writer

MARQUETTE — The Marquette County treasurer is urging property owners who owe 2015 property taxes to contact the Marquette County treasurer as soon as possible, as they only have until March 31 to pay their taxes in full and avoid foreclosure.

“Each year we see so many people wait until the last minute to pay their taxes. I always caution people in doing so because you never know when an emergency might arise and if that payment is not made, you will lose your property,” Marquette County treasurer Anne Giroux said.

Giroux explained that it is important to recognize that current property tax laws in Michigan make tax foreclosure absolutely final and there is not an opportunity for people to redeem their property once the deadline has passed.

“I am particularly concerned at this time of year for those homeowners who are struggling to pay their taxes. If you or someone you know has delinquent taxes from 2015 or earlier, please reach out to us to see if you qualify for a hardship extension or if other assistance might be available. Our goal is to help people stay in their homes and we work with them to come up with a payment plan so they can avoid foreclosure,” she said.

Giroux said the Marquette County treasurer, along with treasurers across the state, offers hardship extensions for qualifying homeowners. In Marquette County, qualifying homeowners with two or more years of delinquent property taxes and financial hardship can apply for a hardship extension of one year.

This one-time, one-year extension can allow families to get on a monthly payment plan to catch up on their property taxes on a primary residence and prevent imminent property tax foreclosure.

In addition to the hardship extension, there are other resources available to assist people who are behind on property taxes. For veterans that are 100 percent disabled, an exemption from property taxes on a primary residence may be available. Veterans can contact the Marquette County Department of Veteran’s affairs at 906-485-1781 for more information. Step Forward Michigan has millions of dollars for qualified homeowners who are currently struggling with payments on back taxes and back mortgages. Interested parties can visit stepforwardmichigan.org for more information.

Giroux urges people not to wait until the last minute to reach out to the treasurer’s office or other agencies that can assist.

“Don’t wait until the last minute, don’t count on an income-tax refund, that’s what a lot of people are waiting for this time of year…but what if the tax laws have changed, what if you don’t get as much as you thought you would… what if you end up in the hospital and you can’t make it to our office in time? So many things could happen…we really stress with people, don’t wait til the last week to get them paid, get in early, get them taken care of … if you think for some reason that you might not be able to make it and you might qualify for a hardship (extension), call us,” Giroux said, urging people to contact the Marquette County treasurer immediately.

She noted that paying property taxes through a mortgage escrow with your mortgage payments can be a good way to make sure everything is paid.

“A lot of people have their taxes in escrow and that’s really, frankly a good way to handle it because you’re never in jeopardy of losing your property due to non payment of taxes,” she said.

Giroux also wanted to make sure that the public is clear on the difference on mortgage foreclosures versus tax foreclosures. The treasurer does not deal with mortgage foreclosures and tax foreclosure can occur even if a mortgage is fully paid.

“Tax foreclosure is a totally different process (than mortgage foreclosure), we hear people talk about auctions on the courthouse steps, things like that, those are mortgage foreclosures and those are handled by the sheriff’s office.”

Residents can call the treasurer’s office at 906-225-8425 to get more information and/or set up an appointment. Giroux reminds residents that they accept credit card payments and encourage property owners to make partial payments throughout the year so they do not face a large balance due in March.

Cecilia Brown can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 248. Her email address is cbrown@miningjournal .net.