Despite bad news this week about the JC Penney closing, the new owners of the Orchard Mall in Benton Township have been working to turn things around on the tax front. Berrien County Treasurer Bret Witkowski tells WSJM News the mall is now signed on to a payment plan for its 2017 property taxes. That’s after the mall owners paid off the 2016 taxes last month.
“They have since then gone into a payment plan and have paid for the first month on the 2017s, and then hopefully it will be the 2018s,” Witkowski said. “From our perspective, they are tying to do the right thing from a tax standpoint. Hopefully, things work out for them.”
The more than $220,000 paid last month for 2016 averted foreclosure, and the monthly payments for 2017 are around $22,000. Witkowski says it looks to him as though the owners are earnest about getting caught up. The mall’s previous owners were denied a payment plan because Witkowski said they didn’t show an ability to follow through.
