Avon Borough to Challenge Monmouth County Tax Process
The Borough of Avon reportedly will file suit to challenge the relatively new “pilot” program for real estate tax appeals filed before the Monmouth County Tax Board. The Borough Council recently voted unanimously to ask the New Jersey Department of the Treasury to intervene and stop the pilot program, which officials say has created uncertainty in the assessment process and has caused residents to be unsure how their annual property tax bills will change from year to year.
According to an article in the Asbury Park Press, the town’s future lawsuit will be unnecessary if the State or Monmouth County Tax Board suspend the program, but Avon is not counting on that to happen, and thus intends to file suit soon.
The program accelerates the timing of the assessment and appeal process by moving up deadlines from the April 1st filing deadline which applies in other counties. Critics say that this shortened time frame makes it difficult or impossible to plan municipal budgets and creates uncertainties in the assessment process from year to year. The pilot prgram was signed into law in 2013, but these latest issues call into question whether it is working.
We’ll be watching what happens on this one, as quick action could have an impact upon the pilot program’s filing deadline for 2016 appeals, which is currently January 15, 2016.
Our prior blog posts explain the pilot program in more detail:
Tax Appeal Pilot Program Signed Into Law
Tax Appeal Bill Introduced to Change Filing Deadlines Statewide
