| Author |
Message |
    
Yearpin
| | Posted on Monday, January 15, 2001 - 7:56 pm: |     |
The recent uproar over reevaluation is sad, this in our town which prides itself so much on diversity and inclusivity. People are petitioning for the ousting of elected officals because they wont want to assume the municpal financial burden due them. We are, everyday, becoming more and more divided on this issue. Now, if not before, it is clear that their is definite divison between us. |
Rckymtn
| | Posted on Monday, January 15, 2001 - 9:57 pm: | |
Yearpin, on this one you are right. There's nothing like a good healthy property tax increase to turn liberals into conservatives. |
Jur050
| | Posted on Monday, January 15, 2001 - 10:50 pm: | |
Lord knows this town could benefit from additional conservatives. When I was younger, I was more Liberal in my views. Then as I became older, and took on more responsibilities, I became more conservative. |
Soda
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 16, 2001 - 7:11 am: | |
...otherwise known as being being whipped by life, and driven into the Cave of Fear, where you hunker down and curse the darkness. |
Yearpin
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 16, 2001 - 10:42 am: | |
what im saying is that people shouldn't complain about paying the taxes they are supposed to be paying. |
Pnp
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 16, 2001 - 11:25 am: | |
And why exactly would a tax increase turn a liberal into a conservative? Does it always all just come down to money? Not for most I'd like to think. |
Nakaille
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 16, 2001 - 4:03 pm: | |
I'm with you, Pnp. I have not gotten more conservative with my graying hair or my additional responsibilities. I have become less tolerant, however, of prosperous people (and here I'm speaking of ALL OF US LEGALLY DOMICILED IN MAPLEWOOD) whining about money.
You think you've got money problems? Go to Africa. Go to Central America. Go to Eastern Europe. Go to the Central Ward of Newark. Go to India. But don't stay in the 5 Star hotels reserved for diplomats and CEO's. Talk to ordinary people trying to lead ordinary lives.
Get some perspective.
Bacata |
Overtaxdalready
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 16, 2001 - 4:52 pm: | |
Hey, Mr. Sensitivity, how would you react to a 60 to 70% increase in your property taxes? I'm sure, as the wonderful citizen that you are, you'd just smile and pay it without uttering a complaint. My guess is that these "prosperous" people who are now "whining" about money have been in town for many years, paying property taxes at levels that are probably a helluva lot more than you do. And now they're being told that those levels are going up by another large percentage with no tangible benefit to show for the increase. They're just "ordinary people trying to lead ordinary lives", who are now being hammered by an intolerable increase. |
Nakaille
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 16, 2001 - 5:32 pm: | |
I would not be happy, duh! But I've already said what I would do about it: 1) appeal if I thought my home had been seriously overvalued, 2) re-organize my spending plans, 3) borrow against my home equity for the immediate hit and 4) consider buying a different home in town.
As I've said, we are ALL prosperous in this town. And we either make do with what we have or we have to change our definition of "must haves." And AGAIN, I know I'm not going to recoup the money I've ALREADY LOST. But I'm not going to sue the town over it or try to make my neighbors pay for it. What are YOU going to do?
Bacata |
Rckymtn
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 16, 2001 - 6:19 pm: | |
"A liberal is a person who believes that water can be made to run uphill. A conservative is someone who believes everybody should pay for his water. I'm somewhere in between: I believe water should be free, but that water flows downhill."
-- Theodore H. White
In other words, a liberal is a person who believes that everyone should pay a fair share of property taxes. A conservative is someone who believes taxes are too high. I'm somewhere in between: I believe I'll have another beer and watch the township committee meeting on TV tonight. |
Thomas
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 16, 2001 - 6:24 pm: | |
Bacata
You should not have to appeal an assessment that was just done. Thats the problem. I'm sure you would be singing a different tune if you were unjustly assessed but since your taxes are going down you want everyone to just take it on the chin. |
Njjoseph
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 17, 2001 - 9:41 am: | |
Well, based on my valuation, my taxes are expected to remain the same (roughly). Still, I went to Certified to review the valuation and found a few mistakes, which may or may not cause the valuation to go down. I took a proactive role, rather than complaining that my taxes will probably go up based on potential lawsuits and further revaluations/reassessments.
I'm sure that many of you have valuations based on mistakes. How many of you have reviewed the valuations and have done something about it?
It would be interesting to see how many of you have taken the 15-30 minutes to meet with Certified, and how many of those who expect their taxes to go up have not met with Certified. |
New2so
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 17, 2001 - 11:40 am: | |
I feel for those who are suddenly burdened with outrageous tax increases. As a newer homeowner I would be furious if I found out that the house I just bought was going to be taxed much higher than I could have anticipated at the time of purchase. I'm crossing my fingers that we don't have the same thing happen in South Orange. That aside, I have to say that while I am surprised at the revaluation results, I'm not surpised at the increasing division between Maplewood's more and less affluent. When we were looking for a house I preferred South Orange over Maplewood because, despite the town's diversity focus, it was clear to me that there was a big racial and economic divide that I felt people were closing their eyes to. I couldn't believe the huge contrasts I saw between Maplewood's two commercial areas given how much I'd heard about how progressive and diverse it was from friends who lived there.
Yearpin, Bacata, I hear you.
P.S. For comic relief, read the section on "How to Know If You're Turning into a Republican" in Dave Barry's book DAVE BARRY TURNS 40. |
Overtaxdalready
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 17, 2001 - 3:10 pm: | |
Bacata, If it takes a suit against the town to overturn this travesty then I will certainly take part in it. If that fails, I'll move. I have lived in Maplewood for 14 years and love the town and my house, but I'm certainly not going to pay $14,000 to $16,000 in property taxes to live in it. As for your idea about taking out a home equity line to pay for the property taxes, well, the less said about that the better. |
Nakaille
| | Posted on Thursday, January 18, 2001 - 1:42 pm: | |
Overtaxed, why don't you think about buying a home on my side of town???????
Thomas: I've been taking it on the chin for the last 9 years! Where would you suggest I go looking for the 10K I'VE ALREADY LOST????? And how about my friends who've been selling their homes at losses for years over here? Or who haven't been able to sell and had to go into foreclosure? Where would you like them to recoup their money from? You're right, I don't have a lot of sympathy when I look at the whole picture. YOU DO HAVE OPTIONS, even if you're not willing to exercise them. I repeat my invitation, come look at properties on the east side of town. You really can afford one or two or three!
Bacata |
Marie
| | Posted on Friday, January 19, 2001 - 11:45 am: | |
Thomas,
Better yet, why don't you buy in Irvington! You could afford five, or six or seven! You'd really be helping Maplewood out then by increasing housing values on the East side of Maplewood! |
Tom
| | Posted on Friday, January 19, 2001 - 1:37 pm: | |
There's your "one Maplewood" spirit for you, equating the east side of Maplewood with Irvington! |
Nakaille
| | Posted on Friday, January 19, 2001 - 2:58 pm: | |
Marie, what's your current gripe about the Hilton side of town? Besides the fact that the local school has been upgraded to be on par with other schools in town?
Bacata |
Thomas
| | Posted on Friday, January 19, 2001 - 7:04 pm: | |
Bacata,Marie
Can't we just get along.
can we agree that we should all get a fair market value assessment? |
Harold
| | Posted on Friday, January 19, 2001 - 9:13 pm: | |
Nakaille, I truly believe your heart is in the right place. But you sound naive to suggest that someone from the west side would even consider to move over here. The masked disgust/hatred that you hear not only in person but on this board should clue you in.......there is a Huge divide between us. |
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