Michigan Seniors Property Tax Relief Plan: Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer wants to give older homeowners a break on their property taxes. She is asking for a $90 million plan that would help seniors who live on fixed incomes. Many retired people do not earn more money each year, so rising costs can be very hard for them.
This idea is part of Whitmer’s final state budget. She will speak more about it during her State of the State address on Feb 25 in Lansing. Because of term limits, she cannot run again for governor. The 2026 race has already started, with candidates from both big parties and one independent trying to replace her.
In Michigan, the budget year begins on Oct. 1. First the governor shares her budget plan. Then lawmakers in the legislature talk about it and make changes. After that they agree on a final budget and send it back to the governor to sign into law.
SSA Confirms Early Social Security Payment for February 2026
Whitmer says helping seniors deal with higher prices is very important. “Michigan seniors who worked hard, played by the rules,” Whitmer said. “And live on fixed incomes deserve stability.”
She also said, “As costs on the basics go up because of national economic uncertainty, we should work together to provide real relief to our seniors. In my budget this year, I’m proposing property tax relief for our seniors to save them hundreds of dollars a year, putting money back in their pockets they can use for groceries, gas, or gifts for the grandkids.”
Her office explained that the plan would give back about 10% of yearly property taxes to seniors who qualify. This would mean around $345 back for each household. Even people who have already paid off their homes are seeing bigger tax bills because home values have gone up. The total cost of the plan across the state would be $90 million. Whitmer says this would be the biggest property tax cut for seniors in more than 10 years. She also pointed out that Michigan has already stopped taxing Social Security income and has continued pension tax relief.
Michigan Sues Big Oil Companies
At the same time, Michigan is taking big oil companies to court. The state has filed a lawsuit against BP, Shell, Chevron, Exxon Mobil, and the American Petroleum Institute. Attorney General Dana Nessel says these companies worked together like a “cartel” to slow down clean energy and electric vehicle growth.
Social Security February Payments: Full SSI and Retirement Schedule
The lawsuit says the companies tried to block EV use and hide climate risks. It claims they broke federal and state antitrust laws. The state believes this behavior pushed up utility prices and slowed down the use of clean transportation. The lawsuit argues that electric vehicles would be much more common today if oil companies had not stepped in.
Over the last 20 years, home electricity prices in Michigan have gone up by almost 120%. Even now, electric and hybrid vehicles make up less than 4% of all registered cars in the state.
Nessel says this problem is not normal inflation. She said it is not “the result of natural economic inflation, but due to the greed of these corporations who prioritized their own profit,”. On the other side, Ryan Meyers, who works as general counsel for the American Petroleum Institute, called the lawsuit “baseless,” and said energy policy should be decided by Congress and not by the courts.
The lawsuit is 126 pages long too , theNessel’s office worked on it with law firms Sher Edling, DiCello Levitt, and Hausfeld. These firms have handled other climate related cases across the United States.
