Board of Review says HOPE and PACE helped thousands; requests staff, software and one‑time equipment funding as Pay As You Stay nears sunset

Willie Donwell, director of the City of Detroit Board of Review, told Detroit City Council that the Board has used HOPE exemptions and the Pay As You Stay (PACE) program to reduce tax debts and keep households in their homes, and he asked Council to approve additional staff, recurring software costs and one‑time equipment to handle growing workloads.

Donwell said Pay As You Stay (also called the PACE program) has allowed 15,929 households to avoid tax foreclosure to date and that, after the March review is complete, the number could approach 17,000. He told Council the program is scheduled to sunset on July 1, 2024, and said the city needs to weigh how to sustain or replace the relief.

Donwell framed the Board of Review’s work as valuation and exemption administration under the General Property Tax Act and described the HOPE exemption (homeowners property tax exemption) as a tool that can reduce current and prior year tax liability. “If a person receives an exemption at any level … the amount of back taxes are reduced to no more than 10% of the taxable value of the property,” Donwell said, describing a case in which a property’s back taxes were reduced with assistance from legal partners and a $15 million private grant administered by Wayne…