Residents can air their concerns at a Sept. 10 meeting
By: Megan DeMarco
Residents who still have questions about the township’s recent revaluation and its affect on their tax bills will get another chance to air their concerns in September.
Tax Assessor Steve Benner will be at the Sept. 10 Township Committee meeting to answer questions and hear complaints from residents, some of whom say they didn’t have enough information about the process.
The township completed a township-wide property revaluation designed to bridge the gap between property values and current market values. The property inspection process was completed in December after Appraisal Systems Inc., of Mendham, visited 1,160 houses, 73 vacant lots, 149 farm properties, 96 commercial properties and 77 exempt properties. The revaluation, the first in the township since 1986, bumped the average residential property value from $219,439 in 2006 to $673,176 in 2007.
While Mr. Benner has been available at several Township Committee meetings, the committee decided Monday to make him available again after hearing complaints from several residents about the process.
Mr. Benner has attended several committee meetings, including one on July 23, because the township anticipated that some residents would come to discuss their tax bills, which they received on July 13. However, no one spoke at that meeting.
Councilman Thomas Panconi said that that was frustrating.
"If people are complaining about it, why aren’t they here tonight?" he asked.
Resident Ed Kietlinski also suggested updating the Cranbury Web site.
"The information on the Cranbury Web site doesn’t inform residents as well as other townships’ (Web sites) do," he said. "It should be in laymen’s terms so people understand."
Township Committeewoman Pari Stave explained that all the information is on the Web site, including the municipal budget and graphic explanations such as pie charts.
Township Clerk Kathleen Cunningham said she would send out e-mail alerts and make it an agenda item for the Sept. 10 meeting.
"We want to do a good job answering all of your questions," Ms. Stave said. "There’s no more important job we can do then justify how we’re spending your money."