Tax Bills Due: Rate's Gone Up, Your Payment Might Not

The final 2010 property tax bills in Bernards Township, mailed out the end of July and due back Aug. 1, tax residents at a rate of $1.828 per $100 of assessed value.

Because of fluctuations in assessed property values, an increased tax rate does not necessarily mean increased taxes for every property owner in town. The Bernards tax collector's office reported that some individuals' taxes went up and others went down in 2010.

The tax rate itself increased by more in 2010 than it has in more than a  a decade. Local property taxes were $1.676 per $100 of assessed value in 2009 making 2010's rate roughly a 9 percent increase. The increase continues the recent trend. Taxes were raised 7.3 percent from 2008 to 2009, despite following an average decrease of 1.5 percent from 2000 to 2008.

The total tax levy–all dollars due to the township–rose by a smaller percentage than the individual tax rate because assessed property values fell considerably in town. Property values took a 5.8 percent drop, leaving the total tax levy increase at 2.76 percent.

"The tax rate was driven by two major components: the total tax assessments are down 5.8 percent and, despite the township committee pruning the school levy portion by almost a million dollars, the school tax levy rose substantially in this tax bill," said Mayor Scott Spitzer.

The district school tax portion of the bill came to $1.199 per $100 assessed value, an increase from $1.083 per $100 in 2009. School taxes made up over 65 percent of the local property taxes in 2010, up from 59 percent in 2009.

Municipal taxes also increased, but as the township committee members are quick to point out, the total municipal tax levy figures for 2010 are below the level they were at in 2005 following a series of decreases in the last five years. At $0.258 per $100 assessed value, the municipal tax rate increased just over 10 percent from 2009 levels and a total tax levy increase of 3.65 percent.

Other than flat open space taxes, the county tax rate stayed closest to 2009 levels. At $0.298 per $100 assessed value, county tax rates increased approximately 4.2 percent in 2010.

Spitzer said about the tax situation in Bernards, "The township will continue to seek fiscal restraint and savings where possible at the same time seek to maintain the high quality of services."