By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
Concerned about the impending township-wide property revaluation that is set to kick off in the next few weeks, senior citizens peppered Lawrence Township officials and representatives of the revaluation firm with questions about the process.
About 80 senior citizens gathered at the Lawrence Senior Center Feb. 13, immediately after lunch, to learn more about the revaluation process. The meeting was the third in a series of five sessions intended to spread the word and head off misunderstandings.
Two additional meetings are slated one for tonight, Thursday, at 7 p.m. at the Slackwood Fire Co. on Slackwood Avenue, and the final meeting Monday at 7 p.m. at the Dempster Fire Training Academy on Lawrence Station Road.
The meetings have been co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Lawrence, which will hold a wrap-up meeting March 6 at 7 p.m. It will be held at the Lawrence Library, on the corner of Darrah Lane and Brunswick Pike.
Last week, Lawrence Township Tax Assessor Geoffrey Acolia explained the property revaluation process to the senior citizens and why it is needed. Lawrence Township has been ordered by Mercer County to undertake the revaluation, which was last done in 1993. The new assessed values were placed on the books in 1994.
Revaluations are conducted by municipalities to appraise all property residential, commercial and vacant parcels, as well as farmland to get the value back up to its full, fair value, which is known as fair market value, he said. Fair market value is the price that a willing buyer would pay to a willing seller.
The goal of a revaluation is to spread the tax burden equitably among all property owners, Mr. Acolia said. The owners of two properties that have essentially the same market value should pay essentially the same amount in property taxes.
There are many reasons why inequities may exist in assessments, Mr. Acolia said. It could be changes in the characteristics in areas or neighborhoods, fluctuations in the economy, or change in zoning which can enhance or detract from a property’s value.
The economy is one of the biggest factors, he said. Noting that the last township-wide property revaluation took place in 1994, he said property values skyrocketed and then began to fall, starting in 2007.
”You can imagine the havoc done to our property values. Appeals have been a big problem in the last few years. In neighborhoods with similar homes and values, some people have come in and appealed their assessment. Now, some people have real low assessments and some have real high assessments,” Mr. Acolia said.
Mr. Acolia said revaluation does not mean property taxes will increase. If the township needed $20 million to operate before the revaluation, that’s how much it can raise afterwards there will not be a windfall, he said. The property tax rate will drop by half to reflect the new values.
Mr. Acolia pointed out that Lawrence residents are fortunate that the ratio of assessed value to fair market value is 50.9 percent. He told the audience members to take the present assessed value of their homes and double it.
”If you think that’s the market value what you could sell it for then you should fare well,” Mr. Acolia said.
Brian Schneider, a representative of Professional Property Appraisers Inc., which has been hired to conduct the revaluation, told the audience that field representatives will soon be fanning out in the township to begin the process. They will photograph every property and measure the exterior of the building to determine its square footage.
In a few weeks, the field representatives, or data collectors, will begin knocking on the door or ringing the doorbell for the owner to let them inside, Mr. Schneider said. If no one is at home, they will leave a card indicating when they will return. Property owners can schedule evening or Saturday appointments, if necessary, he said.
Mr. Schneider cautioned homeowners not to allow anyone into the house that cannot provide identification. A list of the data collectors, or field representatives, is available on the Lawrence Township web site at www.lawrencetwp.com. It includes a copy of the field representative’s photo identification card with his name on it.
The data collectors are registered with the Lawrence Township Police Department, which should be notified if a homeowner is suspicious of a would-be data collector, Mr. Schneider said. The company’s data collectors have all undergone criminal background checks, which are updated periodically.
Mr. Schneider said it takes about 10 minutes to walk through the house. The homeowner should accompany the data collector and point out anything that he or she thinks is relevant. The data collector does not set the assessment, he said.
The data collector needs to check on the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, as well as whether the attic or basement has been converted into living space, he said. The overall condition will be noted, such as deferred maintenance, and the type of heating and air conditioning system. The decorating style is not important.
The job should be completed in the fall, Mr. Schneider said. Property owners can expect to receive a letter in November with the new assessment, along with the comparable sales that were used to derive the new value.

