City of Houghton Charter Amendments On Tuesday's Ballot

There is more on Tuesday’s ballot in the City of Houghton than just the Presidential Primaries.

Three amendments to the city’s charter are up for approval.

These are part of a larger effort to update the charter following a commission review in 2012 that found 22 recommended changes.

All of the amendments must be voted on but that was too many to put on a single ballot.

One proposal would calculate the limit of 2 percent property tax based on taxable value of property in accordance to state law instead of the equalized assessed value as currently indicated in the charter.

A second proposal changes the due date of city taxes from July 31 to September 14 and would not include fractions of the month in regards to the 1 percent collection fee for taxes received after the due date.

The third would require the city to turn over unpaid real property taxes to the county treasurer for collection, which is currently state law.

The City of Houghton’s charter was originally written in the 1960’s.