MARQUETTE — Owners of 110 properties in Marquette County who have not yet paid their 2014 property taxes face foreclosure if they are not paid by 5 p.m. Friday, according to county Treasurer Anne Giroux.

The taxes must be paid by 5 p.m. Friday, or they go into foreclosure.

At least 35 of the properties facing foreclosure qualify as homestead properties, Giroux said.

In Michigan, a house is treated as a homestead if it is the owner’s principal residence — a dwelling they live in for at least six months out of the year.

If the taxes are not paid, property owners lose all rights to the property and there is no further ability to redeem. Foreclosure is final, Giroux said.

“The property is owned by the county treasurer at that point,” Giroux said. “Those properties that are foreclosed on are made available to the state of Michigan, the local unit of government (township or city) and the land bank authority. If those entities do not acquire the property, it is offered at public auction in August.”

Giroux said it is not unusual to have more than 100 parcels on the foreclosure list, but this year that number is up almost 10 percent.

“We are up nine parcels,” Giroux said.

The 2014 property taxes became delinquent March 3, 2015, and were forwarded by the municipalities to the county treasurer for collection. At that time a 4 percent fee along with 1 percent interest per month was added.

Each parcel with unpaid property taxes was forfeited to the county treasurer on March 1, 2016. This added a $195 fee to the tax bill, in addition to interest on the debt increasing from 1 percent to 1.5 percent.

Giroux said from this point on the county tries to contact the property owner with six first-class letters and one certified letter within a one-year period.

During this time in the process the landowner retains ownership of the property, despite the forfeiture, Giroux said.

According to a fact sheet from the Marquette County Treasurer’s Office about the process of delinquent tax collections, property owners are given notice even after the stage of forfeiture.

Between August and October 2016, county representatives made a personal visit to each property in danger of foreclosure.

If the taxes are not paid by Dec. 1, 2016, the timeline states, the property address and the names of all parties of interest are published in a newspaper.

In February, hearings were held and judgement of foreclosure was entered on the remaining parcels, the timeline states.

Giroux said in addition to the county efforts to contact landowners, Community Action Alger-Marquette staff reached out five months prior to foreclosure by mail and phone in cases where the property is considered a homestead.

Those individuals who cannot afford to pay their 2014 property taxes on their primary residence should contact the Marquette County Treasurer’s Office to see if they are eligible for a one-year extension from foreclosure due to financial hardship, Giroux said.

The Marquette County Treasurer’s Office is also directing people to the Step Forward Michigan Program.

According to the Step Forward Michigan website, the program was established by the Michigan Homeowner Assistance Nonprofit Housing Corporation to help Michigan homeowners stay in their homes.

The program provides interest-free loans of up to $30,000 to assist with mortgage, property taxes, and/or condominium association fees.

“These loans are forgivable at 20 percent each year, as long as the property remains the homeowner’s primary residence. This means that if a homeowner remains in their home for five years or more after the loan is granted, they do not have to repay the loan,” the website states.

Giroux said while it is not unusual for taxpayers to wait until the last minute to pay property taxes and avoid foreclosure, she suggests a more proactive approach.

“We caution people not to wait until the last day to pay for a variety of reasons — unforeseen accidents, weather or family emergencies just to name a few,” she said. “We also have many taxpayers who don’t understand that foreclosure is final. People who are familiar with mortgage foreclosure assume that there is a redemption period. However, tax foreclosure is different — on March 31, the redemption period has ended and they lose all rights to their property,” Giroux said.

Lisa Bowers can be reached at 906-486-4401. Her email address is lbowers@miningjournal.net.