Page 10 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • March 16, 2011 Midland Park Midland Park’s borough-wide reassessment is expected to begin in early spring now that the town’s new digitized tax maps have been approved by the New Jersey State Division of Taxation. Tax Assessor Marie Merolla said that she is awaiting the formal signature on the official mylar copies of the maps before giving the go-ahead to Realty Appraisals to begin the process. The West New York firm was hired in 2007 when the borough was notified that it would need to reassess, then only four years after having undergone the same process at a cost of $300,000. The fee for the new project will be $154,000. “We are looking forward to completing the revaluation to fulfill the mandate from the state and have our assessments at market value,” Merolla said. The Bergen County Board of Taxa- Borough-wide reassessment is set to begin shortly tion ordered the new revaluation in early 2006 because the town’s equalization ratio (current assessment to market value based on usable sales) had dropped from 100 percent to 74 percent in that short period of time. Extensions have delayed the process, which Merolla said benefitted Midland Park because 2007 was the height of the real state market. She said the ratio further dropped to 64 percent in 2007 but has stayed relatively stable since then, and is now at 65.87 percent. If the new values are established when the market is high but dropping, more tax appeals than average are filed. Residents have until April 1 of each year to file an assessment appeal with the Bergen County Tax Board, but the variation has to be greater than 15 percent for any reduction to be approved. During the reassessment year, 2011 for Midland Park, residents will have until May. 1 to file a formal appeal. Realty Appraisals will notify property owners by mail once it is given the green light to begin the project. Assessors inspect the inside of every property and take photographs and outside measurements so that an accurate description is on file. If no one is home upon their initial visit, they will make an appointment. Residents may refuse entry to their homes, but then the assessment is based on maximum improvements. Merolla said residents should check that the inspector has a proper ID and should call the police department if they have any concerns. She said they may call her if they have any questions or other issues concerning their property values. Once Realty Appraisals completes its report, it will once again contact residents by mail and offer to go over the assessment results. At that time property owners may ask questions and even challenge the findings. Increased property values due to the reassessment do not necessarily mean higher taxes. Following the reassessment, a new, presumably lower tax rate is struck, and this lower rate is applied to the new assessment to determine the new taxes on each property. Traditionally after a reassessment, taxes on one third of the properties stay unchanged, while one third go up and one third decrease. The new values as of Oct. 1, 2011 will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2012. The tax rate based on the new valuation is set by the county each year following the adoption of the state budget. Three incumbents are running unopposed for the three available seats on the Midland Park Board of Education. Trustees Raymond Moraski, James Canellas and Maryalice Thomas (Hagerty) filed by the March 8 deadline. The election will take place on Wednesday, April 27. Moraski has served on the board for nine years. Canellas is finishing his first three-year term. Thomas is filling a twoyear unexpired term. Canellas, a seven-year resident, is a Certified Public Accountant. Currently director of finance and operations for Home Box Office, he previously served as an auditor for Deloitte and Touche, LLP. He was active in the school district’s 2007 Strategic Planning process as a member of the Environment Sub-Committee, and is a baseball and soccer coach. As a member of the board of education, he has served on the Finance, Buildings and Grounds, Incumbents run unopposed for three board seats Technology, Policy, Legislative and Public Relations committees. He and his wife, Deidre, have two sons: Matthew, a fourth grader at Highland School, and Christopher, a first grader at Godwin, and attend the Church of the Nativity. Moraski is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and a former U.S. Naval Officer. He has held managerial positions with several consulting firms during his career. For the past five years he has been employed with Koestner Associates, a firm providing engineering services for residential and commercial real estate development. During his tenure on the board, he has served as president and has chaired the Curriculum, Public Relations, and Buildings and Grounds committees, and has served on the Personnel, Policy and Negotiations committees. He also participated in the community Strategic Planning process. A 25-year resident, Moraski has been active in in-town coaching and Scouting activities and is a Eucharistic Minister at the Church of the Nativity. He and his wife, Andrea, have four children, the youngest currently a senior at Midland Park High School. Thomas is running for her first full term on the board. She holds a doctorate from Seton Hall University and has been a student assistance counselor with the Randolph Township Schools in Morris County for 21 years. A lifelong borough resident and Midland Park High School graduate, she has served on the Policy, Curriculum and Technology committees. She also was the liaison to Special Education. She is a former chairman of the Midland Park Municipal Alliance Committee and is the outgoing corresponding secretary for the MP Junior Football & Cheerleading Association. She is a member of the Midland Park elementary and high school PTA�s, the Church of the Presentation in Upper Saddle River, the New Jersey Association for Student Assistance Professionals and the American Counseling Association. She and her husband Tom Hagerty have three children in the Midland Park public schools: a tenth grader, a seventh grader and a sixth grader. Just a Click Away! www.villadom.com Thousands r of Readers Ove se and Above Tho r Ou Who Receive Paper in the Mail! Visit Our Website: F O CUS on Midland Park Businesses ��������������������������� The Villadom TIMES is pleased to offer you the opportunity to showcase your business and staff in its annual special section, focusing on you... the merchants of Midland Park. Let us compose a high performance “Pictorial”advertisement that will give your local consumers the opportunity to get to know you and the special way you conduct your business. E MPL SA E PL SAM Direct Links to Advertisers’ Websites! Publication Date: Wednesday, April 6, 2011 Reservation Deadline: Friday, March 23, 2011 The Villadom TIMES is your community newspaper, delivered by US mail to every residence in the following Bergen County towns, with a total circulation of 56,000: Zone 1: Midland Park, Franklin Lakes, Wyckoff Zone 2: Ridgewood, Glen Rock Zone 3: Allendale, Ho-Ho-Kus, Waldwick, Saddle River, Upper Saddle River Zone 4: Ramsey, Mahwah Call Ester Actual Size: 5” wide x 6” high 201-652-0744 Email: ester@villadom.com Call Ester today at The Villadom TIMES to place your advertisement in this special supplement. Be sure to reserve early to allow our staff to produce a section you will be proud to participate in. Read Our Other Editions Too! Current & Past!