Waldwick
April 27, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 11
Residential tax appeals in Waldwick more than doubled this year over previous years, but officials are hopeful the borough will prevail once the applications are reviewed by the tax board. At its last meeting the borough hired attorney Harry Norton to handle the appeals in front of the Bergen County Board of Taxation. Borough Attorney Craig Bossong has recused himself because one of his partners is a tax commissioner. Norton will be paid up to $1500 for the tax work. In all, 130 taxpayers have filed appeals on their 2011property assessment, according to Tax Assessor Angela Mattiace. Last year, there were 65. Of the current appeals, 120 are residential properties, and 75 of these are condominium units. Of the 35 units in the Riverside condos at the corner of Wyckoff and Wanamaker avenues, all 28 fair-market unit owners have appealed. The owners of the seven affordable housing units in the complex have not. The condos on Smith Street have also appealed their assessments Borough Administrator Gary Kratz pointed out, however, that while the number of appeals is much greater this year than in previous years, it represents only 2-3 percent of the total number of properties in town. He attributed the increase to the economic environment and the tremendous publicity and public information disseminated prior to the April 1 filing deadline. He said all taxpayers received a notice of their assessment in February with instructions for filing an appeal as required by law. Kratz said that filing an appeal does not guarantee a reduction in the assessment. “We win a lot more cases than we lose,” he said. Kratz added that people often unrealistically base their appeal on the greatest market value of their property. He explained that since the last borough-wide revaluation in 2004, the housing market experienced double-digit appreciation in 2005, 2006 and 2007, but has since depreciated. “If they’ve done nothing to the house since October, 2004, that assessment should hold,” he said. The munici-
Residential tax appeals double in borough this year
pality is permitted a 15 percent margin of error between the assessed value and the market value. To win an appeal, property owners have to produce three to five recent sale prices from comparable properties in their neighborhood to establish the real market value of their homes. If the sale prices are lower than their assessments, they have a chance of getting a reduction in the assessment. Kratz said that if a property owner can demonstrate a mistake in the assessment, the tax assessor
can make adjustments; otherwise the municipality has to defend itself in tax court. Mattiace said she is waiting for the county board to schedule a date to hear Waldwick’s appeals, which she expects will be sometime in July. By law, the board must have heard all appeals before Aug. 15, she said. The county decision may then be appealed to the state tax court. Appeals of $1 million or more may go directly to the state court.
Waldwick Watch
Kids Helping Kids event set Julia A. Traphagen School’s PSO will host a Locks of Love event at the school, 153 Summit Avenue in Waldwick, on May 23 beginning at 1 p.m. with the assistance from Blush Salon in Englewood. Children with 10 inches of hair to donate will be treated to a free cut, style, and blow out. Locks of Love, a non-profit organization, provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children who are suffering from long-term medical hair loss. Contact traphagenpso@yahoo.com for an appointment. National Day of Prayer planned The 60 Annual National Day of Prayer will be observed in Waldwick on Thursday, May 5 at the public safety building on East Prospect Street from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m. Attendees will gather at the flagpole to pray for America, and its national, state, and local leaders. All are invited to attend.
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ance department at Waldwick High School or by calling Chuck Farricker at (201) 670-9040. Applicants must live in Waldwick or Ho-Ho-Kus or be a registered member of Saint Luke’s parish. Application deadline is April 28. Attic Treasures Sale set The Waldwick United Methodist Church at 25 Franklin Turnpike will hold its Annual Attic Treasure Sale on April 29 and 30 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, call (201) 652-5130 from 9 a.m. to noon. Library to host Twitter workshop What is Twitter? How does it work? Find out on Thursday, April 28 at 7:30 p.m. when the Waldwick Public Library presents “What Is All the Twitter About?” Erin Hummel, library media specialist for Waldwick Middle and High schools, will describe how Twitter and other social media are influencing politics around the globe, how companies and entrepreneurs leverage their businesses with Twitter, and how you can use it. The program is free and open to the public; however, space is limited and advance registration is recommended. The library is located at 19 East Prospect Street in Waldwick. For more information, call (201) 652-5104.
Knights offer scholarships Saint Luke’s Knights of Columbus Council is offering four $1,000 scholarships for high school seniors who plan to attend college in the fall of 2011. The scholarships are funded by the proceeds of the Annual Golf Outing. Applications and instructions are available in the guid-
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