New assessments appear to be delayed for a year
BY TALI ISRAELI
Staff Writer

Marlboro

MARLBORO — The Monmouth County Tax Administrator believes a revaluation of every property in Marlboro is on track to be completed by January 2008.

Township officials were ordered in December 2004 to conduct a revaluation of every property in the municipality and have the new assessments on the books by January 2007.

Although Marlboro has not received an extension from the Monmouth County Board of Taxation, Matthew Clark, the county tax administrator, said the board does not have any authority to compel Marlboro to complete the revaluation by the deadline.

In a property revaluation, a representative of the company that has been hired by the township to conduct the work visits every property and determines the current market value (assessment) of each parcel.

The amount of property taxes an owner pays to support school and government operations is determined by multiplying the assessed value of the property by tax rates that have been established by each taxing authority (i.e. school district, municipality, county).

Marlboro Business Administrator Judith Tiernan said the township tax assessor’s serious health issues precluded the municipality from meeting the January 2007 deadline.

According to Clark, the county board of taxation has a legal obligation to order a revaluation and to monitor the municipality during the process through monthly reports.

However, he added, when a town gets to the deadline and is in non-compliance, the board is required to inform the director of the state Division of Taxation.

Marlboro’s deadline to submit the new assessments to the county is Jan. 10, 2007. Clark said when the township fails to submit the books by next month the matter will be in the hands of the Division of Taxation.

The director of the Division of Taxation can bring suit against Marlboro to compel the municipality to meet the deadline, Clark said. However, he said he believes that would be a wasteful move since Marlboro seems to be on track for having the new assessments on the books by 2008.

Officials are in the process of having Marlboro’s tax maps updated. The Township Council has not yet hired a firm to conduct the revaluation project.