Seeking equity and fairness in Princeton revaluation

Corazon Jeevaratnam of Princeton
    We live in the Ewing-Hillside neighborhood and are still trying to determine why our assessments went up so much and how we can afford the large ensuing tax increases. Certainly our neighborhood has increased in value along with the rest of Princeton and we would expect to see this in the recent valuation.
   However, nothing suggests to us that the market value of our properties, particularly the land, has increased so much in value. In my family’s particular case, our .26 acre plot has been assessed at nearly five times than before. Our tax bill is 33 percent higher than last year. Around us, we hear the same complaints from our neighbors.
   My husband and I took advantage of the informal reviews held with ASI shortly after the release of the new assessments. We walked into the one-on–one meeting expecting to understand how the value assigned to our property was calculated but the ASI representative just kept referring to the county manual and could not or would not enlighten us.
   We pointed out a few negative aspects of our property that a mass revaluation would have overlooked. The representative agreed with our points, jotted them down, and assured us that the adjustments would be reflected in our final assessment letter. Not true. Our letter showed the same figure with no explanations provided.
   One immediate neighbor’s experience was even worse. Like us, they left the meeting feeling that they had gotten heard — only to see their final figure go up. For us, the informal review was a big disappointment.
   I am taken aback by the open letter of Princeton Township and Princeton Borough officials published in The Princeton Packet, asking for data, formulae, etc. I thought that the data they are seeking from ASI would have been known to them even before the assessment process began. How else could they have ensured that the outcome would be equitable? With all due respect, I think we would not have the inequities we are now facing if such oversight was exercised.
   The inequity is keenly felt in our neighborhood of small detached homes. Many of the houses were originally built or purchased by Italian immigrants, many of whom came to Princeton to work in the construction and restaurant trades. They brought with them cultural influences that have had a long-term influence on Princeton and greatly added to its quality of life. More recently other nationalities have joined the neighborhood and this has just enriched the diversity of our town.
   In talking with my neighbors, if the current valuations were to take hold, a number of us will not be able to live in Princeton anymore and that is very sad.
Corazon Jeevaratnam
Princeton