This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Politics & Government

Council Members Mum on Contents of Revaluation Letter

Varano says holding a public meeting on reval would be in township tax assessor's 'best interests.'

Berkeley Township Council members declined to reveal their intentions, but indications at a recent council meeting were that the town may end up suing Certified Valuations over the controversial 2009 revaluation.

Despite repeated questions from residents and members of the Berkeley Township Taxpayers Coalition, council members didn't even hint at the contents of a June 14 letter from John Bennett, the lawyer from the Philadelphia-based firm Dilworth Paxton about the revaluation.

They went into closed session to discuss the letter. When they came out, council members voted unanimously to retain the law firm to handle any possible litigation as a result of the township-wide property revaluation.

Find out what's happening in Berkeleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Samuel Cammarato, president of the Berkeley Township Taxpayers Coalition, and Lawrence Borio, the group’s treasurer, were encouraged by the resolution.

"Did you hear that?" Borio said with a smile after the meeting ended. “They’re keeping them on for possible litigation.”

Find out what's happening in Berkeleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

He and Cammarato took that as a positive sign. But they were frustrated that the council would not discuss the contents of Bennett’s letter or what may eventually happen.

“We spent an inordinate amount of time on this,” Jim Galanaugh, the coalition’s communications director told Council President Karen Davis. He urged her to give the public a timetable on the letter could be released. “Have you set a date to finalize it?”

“We still owe funds to Certified Valuations,” Davis said. She added that she could not say more, due to possible litigation.

The township has yet to pay $120,000 of the $1.2 million contract, according to Frederick C. Ebenau, the township’s chief financial officer.

Galanaugh replied he hoped the council would reveal Bennett’s findings soon.

“I won’t be around forever,” he joked.

The Berkeley Township Taxpayers Coalition formed in the wake of the revaluation, when residents with waterfront homes and those in the South Seaside Park section of the township saw their property taxes skyrocket.

The group has been scouring records and the contract related to the revaluation conducted by Certified Valuations. In April, the BTTC sent a letter to Bennett pointing out what it viewed as five possible violations of the contract, including a conflict of interest where Fred Milman, the tax assessor in Eagleswood Township and brother-in-law of Berkeley tax assessor Eric L. Zanetti, worked for Certified Valuations in Ocean County.

Cammarato has said that the group is not accusing Zanetti or Millman of anything illegal, but wants it on the record that the relationship violates the contract.

Cammarato and Galanaugh also renewed their requests for Zanetti to come to a public meeting to answer questions regarding recommendations made by Richard Carabelli of Martin Appraisal Associates. Carabelli reviewed the revaluation in a report released in late March.

Among those recommendations were making adjustments to the valuations of 12 neighborhoods encompassing roughly 3,600 homes, and institute a plan to keep assessments up to date on a yearly basis.

Officials noted that Zanetti has to submit a report to the county tax board by October 1 outlining changes, and said they hoped he would come before the public at that time.

“I think it would be in his best interests to hold a public meeting,” Mayor Jason J. Varano said. “With all that has happened, it would be a wonderful gesture.”

“I’ll extend an invitation to him,” Davis said. But she noted that Zanetti turned down the request when the Carabelli report was released.

“We’ve been coming to the meetings hoping they’d give us something, because these guys (Cammarato, Borio and Galanaugh) have put in a lot of time doing this,” Edwina Borio said.

In the meantime, assessment appeals continue. Don Whiteman of 24th Avenue in South Seaside Park - who said he goes before the county tax board on July 21- asked if the township is sending letters to residents offering to settle their appeals rather than going before the tax board. He noted that Toms River was doing that with some of their residents. Township Attorney Patrick Sheehan noted that there have been some appeals settled, but did not know how many.

The last assessment of Berkeley Township properties was conducted in 1990.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?