September 25, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 25 Wyckoff officials approve revaluation for township by John Koster The Wyckoff Township Committee voted last week to approve a town-wide revaluation priced at $415,000 after negotiations with one of the most reputable firms in the business. Realty Appraisal Company of West New York, said to be the oldest municipal revaluation and appraisal firm in New Jersey, is expected to begin work in Wyckoff next month, pending state approval of the contract. “The firm is experienced,” Wyckoff Township Commit- teeman Kevin Rooney said last week. Rooney said he and Township Attorney Rob Landel conferred with the firm and that state approval is anticipated in the next 15 days. Earlier this year, the Bergen County Board of Taxation ordered Wyckoff to perform the revaluation of all residen- tial and commercial properties. The upcoming revaluation will be Wyckoff’s first since 2006. The purpose of the revaluation is to equitably redistrib- ute the tax burden by estimating all properties at 100 per- cent of their true market value. The process, also known as tax equalization, is said to ensure that all property owners pay their fair share of taxes based on the actual market values of the properties they own. Residents and businesses should expect to see the inspectors retained by Realty Appraisal Company visiting Wyckoff properties in October or November. The process will be completed by Oct. 1 of 2014. In other business, the township committee awarded a contract for drainage improvements, including the instal- lation of an underground drainage storm water detention system near the Pulis Soccer Field and the adjacent leaf compost facility. The contract for $35,200 was awarded to the lowest responsible bidder, New N House Service from Pompton Lakes. The work is to be funded by a $50,000 Bergen County Open Space Grant to improve recreational areas. Wyckoff previously awarded a $42,000 contract after competitive bidding for the purchase of the drainage system, including the pipes and connectors. Wyckoff officials credited the township’s approach of bifurcating and competitively bidding the two cost compo- nents -- the parts and the work -- with bringing the whole project in under budget. Rooney noted that the bids for the second phase came in between $35,000 and $218,000. Airmount Woods development (continued from page 3) were launched to supplement public school curriculum and to administer services in existing not-for-profit and private school facilities. Housing is now emerging as an acute need for this first generation of young adults who are now aging out of public and private education programs. There are currently 7,800 names on the waiting list for special needs housing maintained by the New Jersey Divi- sion of Developmental Disabilities, many of them with autism spectrum disorders. Numerous families now have to relocate their children to out-of-state facilities just to receive adequate care and treatment. The goal of Airmount Woods is to permit local families coping with autism to have their children reside locally, close to family, friends, and essential services. “It’s a start in the right direction,” Botta said, adding that Airmount Woods may become a model for other towns to emulate. The Borough of Ramsey transferred ownership of the site to RHI for this development and the operation of the residence. The project, which cost approximately $1.6 million, is being funded by various sources. The prop- erty acquisition cost to the Borough of Ramsey of nearly $900,000 has been reimbursed from the Borough’s Afford- able Housing (COAH) Trust Fund, and an $800,000 devel- opment contribution has been made to Ramsey Housing Inc. from this trust fund. The fund was created through past fees on commercial and residential development in the borough pursuant to COAH regulations. The New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, established under the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, has also funded the project through a restricted mortgage. County and state grants have also contributed to the costs of the project. There has been no expenditure of borough general funds in the planning, development, or operation of Airmount Woods. In 2012, Ramsey officials decided to commit the bor- ough’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund monies to cover the costs of supportive housing for autistic adults, a housing rehabilitation program, and an energy efficiency project for the borough’s affordable housing inventory. New Jersey municipalities had until July 17, 2012 to commit their trust funds to affordable housing projects. If decisions were not made by that deadline, municipalities risked having the funds seized by the state.