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CASSOPOLIS — Property owners in Michigan have received a last-minute reprieve in response to concerns surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak.

Wednesday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order extending the deadline to redeem property for nonpayment of delinquent taxes. The extension gives property owners across the state extra time to pay their taxes to avoid foreclosure. The extension will remain in place until May 29, or until 30 days after the state of emergency placed on Michigan has been lifted. Without the extension, property owners would have been looking at foreclosure April 1 if they did not pay their delinquent taxes from 2017 or earlier.

“I’m excited because this is exactly what we were hoping for,” said Cass County Treasurer Hope Anderson. “A lot of people pay last minute, but that doesn’t give you a lot of leeway. This allows people some relief from the pressure from having their home foreclosed.”

Following the identification of the first two presumptive cases of COVID-19 in the state on March 10, Whitmer declared a State of Emergency across Michigan to help stop the spread of the virus. As a result, many county governments, including Berrien and Cass counties, have closed their buildings’ doors and limited access to the public. This has led to many county treasurers being unable to process redemption payments or enter into payment plans with property owners to avoid foreclosure.

“To mitigate the spread of COVID-19, protect the public health, and provide essential protections to vulnerable Michiganders, it is reasonable and necessary to temporarily suspend rules and procedures so as to extend the deadline for redemption of property foreclosed for nonpayment of delinquent property taxes,” Whitmer wrote in her executive order.

In Cass County, Anderson said the extension would affect approximately 150 residents, and already she has seen it provide relief to some of those people.

Earlier this week, she said she met with a restaurant owner whose business had taken a hit due to a mandated closure of dine-in services handed down by Whitmer Monday. As he was already struggling, he would have been facing foreclosure on April 1. Now, Anderson said he could spend this time focusing on his health and finding ways to pay his taxes rather than worrying about foreclosure.

“I’m so happy our state is doing whatever it can to minimize the worries of our residents,” Anderson said. “It’s one less thing to worry about. People are worried about their health, their kids, and your property taxes are one less thing they have to worry about right now.”

In addition to the extension, Anderson said other programs could help residents avoid foreclosures, such as hardship extensions and veterans’ programs. To learn more, contact Anderson at (269) 445-4468.