Bids for revaluation work due in Marlboro Dec. 11
BY REBECCA MORTON Staff Writer

MARLBORO - A project that will place a new assessment on every property in Marlboro has moved a step closer to getting under way. At its Nov. 7 meeting, the Township Council passed a resolution to authorize the acceptance of proposals from revaluation firms.

A legal notice that was published by Marlboro in the Nov. 20 edition of the Asbury Park Press states that a proposal from each revaluation firm that is interested in being hired is due by Dec. 11, at which time the proposals will be opened and read at Town Hall.

The township reserves the right to reject any or all proposals due to any defects or to waive informalities and to accept the proposal of the vendor who best meets the delineated criteria set forth in the Request for Proposals, according to the legal notice.

The revaluation of every property in Marlboro will bring the assessment of each parcel up to its current market value. As a result of the revaluation some property owners will see their total property tax bill increase, some property owners will see a decrease in the amount of property taxes they pay and some property owners will not see any change in their property tax bill.

A property owner's tax bill includes payments to various entities, including the Marlboro municipal government, the Marlboro K-8 School District, the Freehold Regional High School District and the Monmouth County government, among other assessments. The assessed value of a property is multiplied by a tax rate that is established by each taxing entity to produce the amount of taxes to be paid.

Over the past few years all of the properties in Manalapan, Howell and Freehold Borough have undergone revaluation. All of the properties in Freehold Township and Englishtown are presently undergoing revaluation. Colts Neck properties are scheduled to undergo revaluation within a year.

Previous articles published in the News Transcript reported that in late 2004 Marlboro officials were ordered by the Monmouth County Board of Taxation to conduct a revaluation of all properties in the municipality. That is the directive that Marlboro's representatives are now acting to comply with.

A representative from the Monmouth County tax board said at the time of the previous article that there is a list of criteria in the New Jersey Administrative Code that the county considers before it orders a revaluation. Among the criteria is whether a revaluation has been performed within the past 10 years and how far under market value the properties in a municipality have fallen.

Marlboro's previous revaluation was conducted in 1992.

During the property revaluation a representative of the company that has been hired to conduct the work visits every property in the municipality and determines the current market value of each parcel.

Property owners have an appeal process available to them if they disagree with the new assessment that is placed on their property by the revaluation firm.