Mayor: ‘Some mistakes were made’
By: Cara Latham
WASHINGTON When a municipality undergoes a revaluation, the process is most certainly frustrating.
But some residents who may have been extra frustrated by their new assessments, or who felt they were not given all the details when going for a review hearing with the revaluation company, might be getting a second chance.
The assessments for six developments Town Center, Sharon Mews, Brookshire Estates, Dalton Meadows, Ridings and Washington Hunt are being reviewed by Certified Revaluations Inc. because their property record cards "might contain incorrect information," according to a letter posted to residents on the township’s Web site. Mayor David Fried said during the Township Council’s Feb. 22 meeting that certain neighborhoods would be reviewed by the company.
"There were some mistakes that were made" during the process, Mayor Fried said in a phone interview Monday. "I think they were clerical errors."
And the problems don’t end there. While residents who attended the Feb. 20 Washington Township Civic Association meeting reported large differences in assessed values from house to house in Sharon Mews, they also said they weren’t given the chance to see their property cards or see a list of comparable home sales in their neighborhoods two things that would help them ensure their houses were assessed correctly.
During the Civic Association meeting, some residents living in Sharon Mews said they saw differences in the assessments of houses that are exactly the same, or "cookie cutters," of at least $20,000.
Sharon Mews resident Irving Katz said his townhome is exactly the same as those of his neighbors it was the same model and size and had the same number of fixtures, for example. Yet, "there was a variable of $20,000 from one revaluation to mine," he said. "Why is that?"
Sharon Mews resident Freda Leyrer said her house was assessed at $412,000, while another resident said that she knew someone in the same development with the same house who received an assessment of $325,000.
Ted Lamicella, the project supervisor at Certified Valuations Inc., which conducted the township’s revaluation that was completed in October, attended the Civic Association meeting to describe the revaluation process to the residents and answer their questions.
In response to Mr. Katz’s comment, Mr. Lamicella said there could have been a mistake on one of the property cards, and that he would look into the neighborhood.
"If what you’re saying is true, and they’re all the same houses, and they’re all different assessments, it’s a problem and we’ll have to correct that problem," he said.
Residents who schedule a review hearing with Certified Valuations regarding their new property assessments should be allowed to review their property cards and a list of comparable sales of homes in their neighborhood.
When the company’s appraisers and assessors inspect residents’ homes, they collect data on the physical characteristics of the homes and measure factors such as the size and condition of the houses and properties, and place that information on a property card, Mr. Lamicella said.
After inspections are completed, the town is divided into neighborhoods, and the company analyzes the sales in individual neighborhoods as close to Oct. 1, 2006 the end date for the revaluation as possible. However, they were still required to analyze home sales over the last three years, from 2004, 2005 and 2006. "Obviously, the 2006 sales would carry much more weight," he said.
A handful of residents said they weren’t given the opportunity to review the information listed on their property cards or the book of comparable sales the company used to determine the estimated market value of each home when they went for their hearings.
Mr. Lamicella gave his phone number to the residents and told them to call the company the following day to schedule a second hearing.
"Anyone who feels they didn’t get all the information, I will reschedule, if you wish, another appointment to make sure you get this information," he said, instructing those residents to say they attended the Civic Association meeting. "I will be in contact with everyone conducting hearings tomorrow to ensure that they’re doing this. They should be, but I’ll find out."
Other residents said they thought the revaluations were unfair because houses aren’t selling well in the township, and that they probably couldn’t sell their houses for what they’re worth.
Mr. Lamicella said the company’s analysis showed that the 2005 market was still going up and became level through October 2006. Overall, there wasn’t a net loss of value in October 2006, he added.
And, "if you are in a neighborhood that begins having a lot of development and it becomes a desirable neighborhood, that could affect the value of your property," he said. Some houses might have an in-ground pool, and other characteristics that might affect their revaluations, Mr. Lamicella said.
Mr. Lamicella also said the company does not consider listings, but people might want to tell the appraisers during their hearings if they have neighbors who are having trouble selling their houses for even lower than the assessment values.
He stressed that a revaluation is done to ensure the taxes are equitably distributed in the township. Because the last revaluation was done around 1991, the prior assessments in the township reflected an average of 52 percent of market value. This means that the tax burden was unequally distributed within the township. This will be corrected by the new assessments, he said.
"The bottom line is the overall values or overall tax dollars that the town would collect next year would be exactly the same, whether we get a revaluation or not. The only difference would be who’s paying what part" of the cost, he added.
Members of the Civic Association demanded that Greg Busa, the township’s tax assessor, come to their meetings, but Mayor Fried said Tuesday that township officials and Mr. Busa both have to stay impartial to the proceedings.
"He’s ultimately going to become the judge," said Mayor Fried of Mr. Busa’s role in the process. And, "if I think that the overall revaluation is unfair, I have the opportunity to throw it out."
Mayor Fried called the process "frustrating," but said, "clearly, we’re going to try to do everything we can from the township to rectify these mistakes."
Because of time restraints, the township cannot send each resident his or her property card, but those cards are in the tax assessor’s office for inspection, he said. He also said residents should check the township Web site, www.washington-twp.org, for more information.

