Livingston County assessors’ internship program recognized; Brighton assessor highlights training pipeline

BRIGHTON, Mich. — City Assessor Colleen Martin presented an award to the Livingston County Assessors Association at the Jan. 28 Brighton City Council meeting, highlighting a paid internship program the county association developed to train future property assessors.

Martin told the council the program was established about four years ago and was recognized by the Michigan Assessors Association at its 2024 conference. The internship is paid, runs roughly six months and places interns for about 20 hours per week in three rotations — typically a township, a city and the county equalization department — so they gain exposure to different assessment functions.

“We are really happy about this because the intention is for them to get the knowledge to be able to know what they're doing,” Martin said. She said five interns have participated so far; one completed the full cycle and others have taken jobs in jurisdictions either inside or outside Livingston County. The sixth intern began the cycle on Jan. 6 and will rotate through county equalization, Genoa Township and a local municipality as scheduled.

Why it matters: Michigan has seen a decline in the number of assessors, Martin said, and local programs like the Livingston County internship give new assessors practical, hands‑on experience beyond classroom certifications.

Ending

Martin thanked the city council and staff for supporting the countywide training program and said the association hopes other Michigan municipalities will adopt similar models.