Constituent Members of Regional School Districts Must Pay Critical Attention To Tax Notices Every October

Porzio, Bromberg & Newman, P.C. (Porzio) case findings were detailed in the article "Allentown taxpayers will get no relief from school tax hike," by Mark Rosman, published in the Examiner (Monmouth County, NJ) on August 2, 2016.

Allentown, New Jersey property owners face a school tax increase of approximately $530 on the average assessed home for the 2016-2017 school year because outgoing town officials did not pay close attention to notices that were sent out by the Division of Taxation this past October. In early July 2016, Porzio was retained by Allentown Borough Council to determine the cause of an anticipated tax increase and to determine if there were any legal remedies available to reverse it. During the July 26, 2016 Borough Council meeting, Porzio attorneys Vito A. Gagliardi, Jr., Jeffrey M. Pypcznski and Kerri A. Wright reported on their findings.

In October 2015 the town received a notice for the Division of Taxation that the town's total equalized property valuation would be going up by more than 10%. The cause of this increase was the inclusion in the State's calculation of the sale of just three properties in town. Porzio attorneys explained that due to the prior administration's failure to appeal the tax hike within the 45-day period following the October notification, any legal action taken now would be costly and would likely not provide a favorable result. To avoid future issues, Porzio recommended procedures to ensure timely annual receipt, analysis, and, if necessary, appeal of the equalized property valuation table.

This is a lesson for every constituent member of a regional school district. Every October, every constituent must pay careful attention to that table of equalized valuation and any notices from the Division of Taxation.