Oakland County voters selected Andy Meisner as their county treasurer in the fall election of 2008, the same ballot that brought Barack Obama his first term as President. By statute, the county treasurer is not sworn into office until July after the election. Meisner’s first official day in the Oakland County Treasurer’s Office was July 1, 2009, making July 1, 2019 his ten-year anniversary.
“Ten years ago, Oakland County was in the midst of a housing crisis and recession. At that time, we had a treasurer’s office what wasn’t focused on the human tragedy of the Great Recession. We adapted and became fully engaged in finding or creating solutions to the tax foreclosure crisis. We also focused our efforts on reversing the causes of the regional mortgage foreclosure crisis, a crisis that wiped out billions of dollars of wealth and displaced tens of thousands of residents,” Meisner said.
“Fast forward 10 years, we continue to adapt to the challenges around the corner, and promoting the financial wellness of everyone in Oakland County,” Meisner said.
During those ten years, Meisner and his team have seen a fall in annual tax foreclosures to a fraction of the quantity he acquired, 1,650 down to 200. The statutory duty to perform tax foreclosures is unavoidable in some circumstances, however, Meisner has implemented several compassionate projects to prevent foreclosure and keeping families in their homes. Three programs have received awards from the National Association of Counties, including Realtor to the Rescue, Growing Pontiac, and Community Taxpayers Assistance Meetings. Other programs include the Treasurer’s Boot Camp for Entrepreneurs, the Treasurer’s Financial Literacy Art Contest for high school students, and the Financial Empowerment Center providing free financial counseling to any Oakland County resident. The goals are to teach residents about making responsible financial decisions, marshal resources to keep struggling owners in their homes, and reinvest in the communities hardest hit by the financial downturn.
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