These 2 N.J. Towns Will Undergo Property Tax Reval

MIDDLESEX COUNTY, NJ - Old Bridge and Middlesex, get ready to pay more in property taxes. The Middlesex County Tax Board met Tuesday for its final meeting of the year and voted to require those two towns to undergo mandatory property tax revaluations. It's the first time the Board has forced a tax reval in more than 20 years.

The borough of Middlesex must start paying its new tax rate in 2019 and Old Bridge Township must start paying its new tax rate in 2020, the Board said. The vote from the four-person board to mandate the reval was unanimous; board member Richard Green recused himself from voting, as he lives in Old Bridge. In a revaluation, municipalities must match the assessed value of a property as close as possible to its market value. Few homeowners welcome a reval, as it often means their property taxes will go up. For a select few, their taxes may go down if the value of their home decreased.

"It's the goal of the Board to start getting Middlesex towns into compliance," Board president Richard Lorentzen told Patch after the meeting. When asked whether homeowners would be upset with the news, he replied, "Well, yes and no. We're trying to make taxation as equitable as possible."

In the past, the Middlesex County Tax Board received scathing criticism from Gov. Chris Christie's administration and the NJ Dept. of Treasury for not forcing more towns to keep their tax rate up to date. In September, the Board was lambasted by the state:

“The Middlesex County Commissioners have become the antithesis of good government,” said John Ficara, Acting Director of the Division of Taxation. "The Middlesex County Tax Board has done nothing."

"Members of the Middlesex Board have demonstrated an astonishing lack of competence by ignoring their constitutional obligation," said Treasury spokesman Joe Perone in July.

Many Middlesex County municipalities are not in compliance with the state's requirements on property taxes. In fact, in October the state identified nine towns in Middlesex County that have not had a tax revaluation in more than 25 years and may be violating state law by paying outdated property taxes. Old Bridge and Middlesex were on that list. So were Woodbridge, East Brunswick and South Brunswick. A reval is required by state law to be done every 10 years.

But now it appears the Board is trying to turn over a new leaf: The Board will likely choose more Middlesex County towns to undergo forced tax revals in the coming year, Lorentzen said. Which towns have not yet been revealed.

"We are trying to get into compliance with the state law," Lorentzen told Patch. "We're in agreement with what the state is looking for."

Earlier this year, the state had to step in and force two towns in Middlesex County - Dunellen and South River - to conduct mandatory revals. South River's Mayor John Krenzel, a Republican, initially protested the reval, but eventually capitulated. Similarly, Jersey City was forced by the state to undergo a mandatory tax reval as well, something its mayor unsuccessfully fought.

Related Patch coverage:

9 Middlesex County Towns Under Pressure To Do Tax Reval — Is Yours One?

South River Ordered to Do Property Tax Reval