Public Hearing Wednesday Night on Property Tax Reval in South River

South River, NJ - As the state of New Jersey leans on tiny South River to do a property tax reval, the Treasury Dept. will hold a public hearing Wednesday night, August 17, where the public is invited to come and testify about how a property tax reassessment will affect them.

The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at the South River VFW, 31 Reid St., in South River.

Under Gov. Chris Christie, New Jersey is intensifying its efforts to force South River to do a property tax reval — something the borough has not done in 30 years. The 2015 market value of property in South River exceeds the assessed value by $925.8 million, the state says. South River is one of eight New Jersey towns that were investigated by the state of New Jersey starting in November of 2015, for failing to do property revaluations, which are required by law. The Treasury Department first ordered Dunellen, Jersey City and Elizabeth to do revaluations, something Jersey City fought and lost. This past spring, the state announced it was expanding its probe to include 5 more towns: South River, Harrison, East Newark, Westfield and Winfield.

All five of those towns — South River, Harrison, East Newark, Westfield and Winfield — have a Director’s Ratio that is among the lowest in New Jersey. That ratio represents the relationship between the assessed value and the true value of all property. A ratio that is lower than 85% is considered not in compliance with the State Constitution, which requires uniform taxation. South River's Director’s Ratio is 30.82%.

"The Division of Taxation is taking this action because of repeated failures by the Middlesex County Board of Taxation to provide proper oversight," a spokesman for the state Treasury Department, Joe Perone, has previously said. "Members of the Middlesex Board have demonstrated an astonishing lack of competence by ignoring their constitutional obligation."

The mayor of South River, John Krenzel, has said that South River is still feeling the effects of Hurricane Sandy.