Manchester Sets Meetings On Property Reassessment Process

MANCHESTER, NJ — A reassessment of all homes and properties in Manchester Township is underway, Manchester Township Tax Assessor Martin Lynch says, and there are several informational meetings scheduled to answer questions about the process.

The township-wide reassessment was ordered by the Ocean County Board of Taxation in December 2017, Lynch said in a news release. The town must have it completed by tax year 2020, he said.

"Reassessment is the process of appraising all real estate in a municipality according to its full and fair value, to ensure that each property owner pays their fair share of taxes," Lynch said. "The process is revenue neutral, meaning the purpose is not to raise property taxes. The purpose is to ensure that the property tax assessments are fair and equitable."

The last reassessment in Manchester was in 2013; the state Division of Taxation says the average township property is assessed at only 85 percent of its market value, he said.

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Reassessments are completed by the municipal tax assessor, Lynch said, which differs from a revaluation, which is completed by an outside company and usually at a much higher cost.

Informational meetings for the general public are set for Wednesday, May 23, at the Manchester Township municipal building, and Thursday, May 24, at the Whiting Fire Company firehouse on Lacey Road. Both meetings begin at 6:30 p.m.

In addition, the following meetings are scheduled:

Lynch said meetings have been held or are scheduled with the Board of Trustees for each of the township’s age-restricted developments.

Inspections began last week in the Pine Lake Park area, Lynch said.

"The property inspector will be physically inspecting the interior and measuring the exterior of each property. If a resident is not home on the inspector’s visit, a notice will be left asking the resident to call the office to arrange an appointment," he said.

Some of the data that the inspector will be collecting is the design, style, overall condition, plumbing, heat source, air conditioning and basement. The data collected and anything else believed to have an influence on property values will be utilized to determine each property’s full and fair value. The inspection of the township’s 16,500 homes will be conducted over the next 18 months.

The notice of the new assessed values for each property will be mailed in the fall of 2019. Residents will be given the opportunity to arrange for an informal review of the new assessments. The impact of the new assessments will not affect the property owner’s tax bill until the 2020 tax year, he said.

"A reassessment does not necessarily mean an increase in taxes for every homeowner," Lynch said. The tax rate will go down to compensate for the increase in the assessed values. Since not all properties have appreciated in value at the same rate, some tax bills will go up, some will stay the same and others will go down.

Residents with questions or concerns can contact the tax assessor’s office at 732-657-8121, Lynch said.

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