By Mark Rosman
Staff Writer
MANALAPAN – Municipal officials will continue to participate in the Monmouth County Assessment Demonstration Program. The deadline for municipalities to opt out of the program was May 31.
Recently, Democratic candidates who are running for seats on the Manalapan Township Committee asked the members of the governing body to follow the lead of several municipalities in the county and remove the township from the program.
Republican Mayor Mary Ann Musich referred a request for comment to Township Administrator Tara Lovrich, who said, “Even with an extended deadline to opt out, the state has not yet ruled that opting out is allowed. Therefore, the Township Committee has taken no action. We would hope that once the state rules on the legality of opting out, municipalities would be allowed to exercise this option at a later date, if deemed best for the residents of Manalapan.”
When the issue was discussed during a recent meeting, Democratic Committeeman David Kane suggested that township officials opt out of the program. He said the program “has been a burden on some people and people may lose faith in us if we do not opt out, because by not opting out, it looks like we are opting in.”
Of township officials’ decision last week to remain in the program, Kane said, “I will rely on the statements I previously made during committee meetings for my position on the Assessment Demonstration Program and the opt out. I will add that because we are remaining in, I believe we must closely monitor the program’s implementation and continue to search for creative ways to address our tax issues.”
The Assessment Demonstration Program, which was created by the enactment of a state law, is an initiative that seeks to assess a property at its fair market value to ensure the owner pays his fair share of property taxes on an annual basis, Monmouth County officials have said. A property’s market value is determined every year.
The new program replaces one that had property assessments set when a municipality underwent a complete revaluation every decade. As the market changed over the course of 10 years and a property’s assessment remained the same, the result was an unequal tax burden among property owners, county officials have said.
The Monmouth County Tax Board provided municipalities an option to remove themselves from the program, even though it is unclear whether state law provides for such an option.
As the program was rolled out and individuals had their property assigned a new assessed value, complaints about the impact the program was having on property taxes were relayed to municipal officials in some communities. Specifically, the issues concerned property owners who saw their homes’ assessment and subsequently their property taxes increase.
Certain aspects of the new program were adjusted administratively as it became apparent that changes were needed, state Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth) said during a recent appearance before the Manalapan Township Committee.
Officials in Shrewsbury Borough and Eatontown who left the program when the county put that option on the table have since voted to rejoin the Assessment Demonstration Program. Locally, officials in Freehold Township, Marlboro, Millstone Township and Allentown have voted to opt out, and officials in Freehold Borough have elected to remain in the program.