Panel reviews bill to convey 0.29-acre Windsor Township parcel to neighboring business

House Bill 4023, sponsored by Representative Angela Whitmer and presented to the House Appropriations Committee by legislative staff, would authorize the state administrative board to convey by quitclaim deed a 0.29-acre parcel in Windsor Township, Eaton County, to an adjoining business that has encroached onto the land.

Josie Bundy, legislative director for Representative Angela Whitmer, told the committee the narrow parcel is “fully surrounded by the state of Michigan and is adjacent to the constituent business,” and that DTMB has already declared the parcel surplus. Bundy said the business “unknowingly built onto this 0.29 acre of land” and that the conveyance would avoid regulatory action that might otherwise require the business to remove or alter its building.

Neil D’Souza of DTMB described the department’s practice on such cases: DTMB conducts a formal appraisal after legislation is enacted, generally with an outside private appraiser, to determine fair market value. “We don’t conduct the appraisal until after the legislation is in law,” D’Souza said, and added that the state uses an outside appraiser to “pinpoint the actual price.” He confirmed the state’s obligation to seek the best offer on property sales.

Committee members asked about whether a survey and parcel split had been completed; D’Souza indicated that the split for that portion had been completed. There was no committee vote; the presentation was informational and focused on correcting property records without forcing a business to dismantle improvements.