Category: lifestyle/the_princeton_packet

  • Some solutions for those unhappy with revaluation

    Dan Thompson of Princeton     For those taxpayers who have had a sudden increase in their property taxes due to an increase in their valuation, there is action that you can take.    1. Property Data Record Sheets — You can check your Property Data Record Sheet and request corrections — at least for 2011. You…

  • Tax assessor addresses revaluation controversy

    Neal A. Snyder, Tax Assessor, Princeton     I am the tax assessor for both Princeton Township and Princeton Borough. A revaluation has been implemented for tax year 2010 for both municipalities. The revaluation was performed by Appraisal Systems Inc. (ASI).    The revaluation was ordered by the Mercer County Board of Taxation and approved by the…

  • West Windsor church wants to hear from its neighbors

    The Rev. Paul Lutz of Prince of Peace Church, West Windsor     We’d like to hear from our neighbors. We are Prince of Peace Church, and the neighbors we’d like hear from are those living in Princeton Junction, West Windsor and Plainsboro.    We believe we are called to have a relationship with our neighbors and…

  • Imagine if revaluation was a national affair

    Chris Johnson of Princeton     Imagine: It’s early October of this year, and you receive a notice from the IRS that your 2010 federal income taxes will rise 20 percent. It says taxes are due Nov. 1.    Perplexed, you call the IRS.    You: “I don’t understand why my taxes are going up.”    IRS Guy: “I…

  • Shifting tax burden won’t fix revaluation

    Ted Hollander of Princeton     The Princeton Township and Princeton Borough Councils have directed a letter to ASI asking for a detailed explanation of their appraisal methodology. Didn’t the council members know the methodology before they awarded the contract?    I am also troubled that individual neighborhoods are now organizing to pressure for a reduction in…

  • Montgomery personnel praised by a visitor

    Barbara Bohanan of Shrewsbury     In an age of economic troubles and selfishness, I found first hand, there is still good in people, and even better, perfect strangers.    My daughter plays softball for NJ Fury, which is a tournament team. Her team plays all over the state and out of state throughout the summer. We…

  • PRINCETON AREA: ‘On a Wing and a Prayer’: Bird watchers contemplate the Gulf disaster

    PRINCETON AREA: ‘On a Wing and a Prayer’: Bird watchers contemplate the Gulf disaster

    ODT Maps gives some idea of the size of the spill area by centering it over Stamford, Conn. On the Web: www.ODTmaps.com

  • PRINCETON AREA: ‘On a Wing and a Prayer’: Bird watchers contemplate the Gulf disaster

    PRINCETON AREA: ‘On a Wing and a Prayer’: Bird watchers contemplate the Gulf disaster

    Ornithologist Charles Leck, Professor Emeritus of Ecology at Rutgers University, says of oil-contaminated birds: ‘You treat 50 — maybe five survive, depending on the species. Manatees are imperiled, yes, but with birds, it’s a mess with their feathers. People do a great job, trying.’

  • PRINCETON AREA: ‘On a Wing and a Prayer’: Bird watchers contemplate the Gulf disaster

    PRINCETON AREA: ‘On a Wing and a Prayer’: Bird watchers contemplate the Gulf disaster

    A scene at the Gulf. Tom Southerland: ‘Years after the Exxon Valdez, I birded there (in Alaska). We found not many birds — some good, yes, but not the numbers there should have been. You can clean them off, but they have to feed, and they return to their fouled feeding areas.’