Council: Verona Will Mail Out Estimated Tax Bills

[UPDATED 6:45pm Tuesday]
Verona taxpayers will get their tax bills on time — but this quarter they'll be estimated. 

The Verona Township Council passed a measure Monday night authorizing the township tax collector to prepare and mail estimated tax bills.

“I had hoped this resolution would not be necessary,” Township Manager Joseph Martin said on Tuesday, “but the State of New Jersey has still not released the final state aid calculations even though Verona, the county of Essex and the board of ed have all finalized our budgets.”

He continued: “We have to send out estimated tax bill sheets but it looks like this is another year where the state aid will not be certified until the state budget is adopted, which is at midnight on June 30.”

Martin said, “if there is a minor adjustment, and it would be very minor. It is made up in the following quarter tax bill.” 

The decision to estimate the taxes is because of the state’s inability to release its state aid calculations. As a result, the Essex County Board of Taxation cannot verify Verona's 2012 tax rate, which prevented the tax collector from mailing out the tax bills in a timely fashion.

Therefore, the tax collector will prepare and issue estimated tax bills for the township for the third installment of 2012 taxes.

The township’s entire estimated tax levy for 2012 is $55,275,503.92, while the estimated tax rate, based on the estimated tax levy, will be $2.677. 

In other news, the council:

• Discussed progress in field renovations at Hilltop Reservation. The plan would include an additional youth soccer program field on the baseball field to better utilize the space. The goal is to get the plans and specifications completed by the early fall, council members said.

A small amphitheater is also being considered in the area of the fields but parking for the venue would need to also be considered.

Kinsey Associate is drafting specifications but the project will still need to go out for bid, according to Township Engineer Jim Helb. 

Doing the construction in one stage, Helb said, will “save from 15 percent to 25 percent to do it all together instead of in two phases. Logistically if you do it all at once you would have one contractor and you could do all the phases of the work together.” 

Helb said if the project is started in the fall, it could be completed and ready to go for the spring of 2014.

• Passed a resolution requiring the members of the council to personally review the annual audit report.

• Passed a resolution renewing liquor licenses to several restaurants and liquor stores throughout the township.

The liquor stores and restaurants paid their annual fees and have approval from the police department to operate. 

The following businesses paid the $900 annual fee for liquor distribution:

Pilgrim Liquors, 283 Pompton Ave.

Home Liquors, 360 Bloomfield Ave.

Krauszer's Liquor Locker, 645 Bloomfield Ave. 

The following paid the $1,400 annual fee to serve alcohol:

Avenue Bistro Pub, 558 Bloomfield Ave.

O'Neil's Restaurant and Pub, 706 Bloomfield Ave.

Richfield Regency, 420 Bloomfield Ave.

Miele's Restaurant located at 125 Bloomfield Ave.