Property revaluation begins later this month

Property revaluation
begins later this month
Some residents could
see taxes increase
as result of process

BY VINCENT TODARO

Staff Writer

A revaluation of all Spotswood property is about to begin, but residents first need the correct number to call with any questions.

Borough Tax Assessor Patti Williams said a letter that alerted residents of the impending revaluation inadvertently gave the phone number for the former municipal building. That number now belongs to a private resident, who obviously wishes people would stop calling her.

The letter was supposed to have the phone number for the new municipal building, which is (732) 251-0700, ext. 835 for Williams.

Meanwhile, inspectors from Realty Appraisal, the company hired by Spotswood to perform the revaluation, will begin visiting properties March 29, Williams said. The process, which was ordered by the Middlesex County Board of Taxation, aims to have properties assessed at their true market value, as they are currently assessed at outdated values, according to Mayor Barry Zagnit.

Despite the higher assessments, not all property owners will see an increase in taxes, because the school and municipal tax rates will be reduced to offset the higher assessments, Zagnit said. The county tax rate, however, will remain the same, meaning more will be paid in county taxes.

Most property owners will see their municipal taxes either stay the same or decrease, but some will see an increase. The effect on tax bills depends on how underassessed the property is, Zagnit said. The larger the underassessment, the more likely the rate reduction will not be enough to ward off a tax increase.

Those with the least worries are people with newer homes, Zagnit said.

"Newly purchased homes are not far off current evaluations," he said. "It’s the older homes that have not been adjusted for years."

He also refuted the claims of some that a revaluation is just a way for towns to raise taxes.

"Some folks think it is a mechanism to raise taxes, but this is a mechanism to bring undervalued properties back up to market value," he said.

"We hope people understand it’s a process we have to follow. We are below 40 percent of actual market value, and we’ve been directed to conduct the revaluation," he said.

Williams said the purpose of the letter containing the incorrect phone number was to inform prop­erty owners the process would be starting. The letter included gen­eral information about what to ex­pect with the revaluation. Because the address remained the same when the new municipal building replaced the old one, the same let­terhead was used. That accounted for the inclusion of the old phone number.

"I try not to spend a lot of money, so we never ordered new letterhead," Williams said.

Inspectors will visit properties, and if no one is there, they will leave a card with a new inspection date. If no one is around for that visit, the inspector will leave a card with a phone number for Realty Appraisal, so an appoint­ment can be arranged for the in­spection, she said.

Owners should not think they can avoid the process. If they are not available or refuse to let the in­spectors in, an estimate is made by measuring the outside dimensions of the structure, Williams said.

The inspectors will work one area of town at a time, and in­spections are scheduled to be fin­ished by August.

"Once they finish all the field work, the revaluation company will send out a letter telling [owners] the new value," she said. "It will also give them hearing dates to see inspection cards."

The process is meant to avoid mistakes, she said.

"They will have ample time to tell if [the inspection card] is accu­rate," she said.

Williams will also be available for questions or problems. Her Spotswood office hours are Wednesdays from 6-8 p.m.

She also explained how the revaluation process is different from a reassessment.

A reassessment involves looking at only a portion of a town that is undervalued in relation to other portions, she said.

"It’s typically not the whole town, and it’s done by the assessor," she said.

A revaluation, on the other hand, is a more involved process that includes a physical study and is performed by an outside com­pany, she said.