| Author |
Message |
    
Nilmiester
| | Posted on Thursday, February 1, 2001 - 3:10 pm: |     |
It's coming, I can sense it. The statement made when people run out of logic. Why don't you just move?!  |
Njjoseph
| | Posted on Thursday, February 1, 2001 - 3:32 pm: | |
Overtaxed, you said my statement is a bunch of nonsense. You definitely took my quote out of context, or you feel that the only action necessary is to complain. You're too smart to think the latter. |
Townie
| | Posted on Thursday, February 1, 2001 - 5:56 pm: | |
Mtierney,
I thought I heard members of the TC say at the first town meeting that delaying the reval could give people whose houses are not currently assessed at market value (and therefore are illegally being taxed) grounds for suit. I don't know if I would sue if the town threw out a reval that showed I was being illegally taxed, but I wouldn't be surprised if somebody did -- or a whole bunch of somebodies. Especially if the reason the town tossed it was because people who were correctly assessed but just didn't want a tax hike applied a lot of political pressure.
Recognizing that some homeowners may have received erroneous assessments, the TC (and the county) has an administrative process for homeowners to appeal their assessment. Some people are trying to interpret that as evidence that initial process was irreparably flawed. Others are saying that so long as the repairs can be made, the process is working and should go forward because the town must get straight with the law in terms of tax equity for all residents.
Waynecaviness: I'm not sure you understood my point. I think it's possible (amateur lawyer warning!) that by merely filing suit against Certified, a resident could use that as "an admission by the TC" that the TC believed Certified didn't do a valid assessment. Therefore, the TC should have not proceeded with the invalid assessment; therefore the reval should be tossed or I should get compensation or something. I think that's a weak lawsuit by the way, but defending against such suits could be very costly for all of us. It could be that as we peck away at our keyboards speculating, the TC is drawing up a suit. I don't know. Just jabbering here.
Njjoseph: Since you sometimes wisely caution me to be a voice of reason, I'll perform the same service for you: I don't think it's LIFE (which is of course unfair) but PROPERTY TAXES which are the real cause for angst here and the occasion for genuine sympathy. With a progressive income tax, if I lose my job my tax burden goes down; if I get sick, my tax burden can be adjusted. Progressive income taxes recognize LIFE is unfair and gives us a break. PROPERTY TAXES are inhumanely unfair: I lose my job, my property taxes stay the same; I don't make extra money but my property taxes go up; I get sick or old, my property taxes are about what other people think my property is worth, not me.
I'll be very grieved if people have to move because of this reval. I don't know if the public sector in NJ offers them any solutions (the tax rebates)? I hope some people find solutions in the private sector (home equity loans or reverse mortgages, etc.) |
Waynecaviness
| | Posted on Thursday, February 1, 2001 - 6:33 pm: | |
Townie,
I think I understood your point. My reply was mainly to suggest that in order for anyone subject to the reassessment to expect to prevail in litigation against the township, the township would have to prevail in their suit against Certified. In other words, should the township go against Certified and lose, such would not bolster a case against the township.
Conversely, should the township prevail, and the revaluation continues, the easily documentable extra expense, time and effort involved in making corrections would provide a compelling defense.
But, like I said, I don't watch Ally McBeal... |
Townie
| | Posted on Thursday, February 1, 2001 - 6:43 pm: | |
Waynecaviness,
Oh. I think I get you now. I don't know what Ally would say, but I can imagine some lawyer somewhere saying that the mere fact that the township had sufficient conviction that the process was grievously flawed to file suit meant they were acting irresponsibly in going forward in the reval -- even though eventually Certified was not found liable by a jury.
But I don't get your second point: Do you think that those determined to litigate get ammunition from the fact that the town hired extra people to help with appeals? That's a real vicious circle isn't it? A harassing crowd could so burden the appeals process, of course extra help was needed (and I do think some of the extra help hired will be dealing with baseless appeals, however innocently made), and then they turn around and say: Gotcha!
I leave it to the lawyers. |
Damellon
| | Posted on Friday, February 2, 2001 - 11:28 am: | |
Face it, the reason why we are in this mess is that the "TC" did a sloppy job with the reval. Apparently it was nobody's job to oversee the process. This is unacceptable representation. How the members of the TC can go around all puffed up and full of themselves the way that they do is beyond me. I want them - out of my house, out of the pool, out of the library, out of the school district (especially!!!) - and out of town hall!! I beg of all of you out there to please consider taking a closer look at the other candidates that may represent us more appropriately during the next election!!! |
Townie
| | Posted on Friday, February 2, 2001 - 12:06 pm: | |
Damellon,
If this is the start of a campaign, it's not a promising beginning. Of course we'll look closely at other candidates, but if all they have to offer is name-calling, and no positive or realistic agenda to improve ratables and residential market value all across town, they shouldn't expect people will accept them just because they the not-TC. |
Ffof
| | Posted on Friday, February 2, 2001 - 1:04 pm: | |
Townie- you commenting on Damellon's campaign is pretty funny considering you didn't know that anyone even ran for TC last November!! Maybe more people will get out and vote next fall. Maybe this will even positively affect voter turn out for the BOE on Apr, Apr, oh Apr somethingerother. |
Mem
| | Posted on Friday, February 2, 2001 - 2:07 pm: | |
Why are some people complimenting the TC on doing work that they were elected to do? It's called doing your job. By the way, they are the ones who hired Certified for us. |
Njjoseph
| | Posted on Friday, February 2, 2001 - 3:28 pm: | |
Mem, I wouldn't call being on the TC a job. A chore is more like it. ;-)
I'm sure the pittance they are paid divided by the number of hours put in gives them less than $1/hour. It's really volunteer work. |
Mem
| | Posted on Friday, February 2, 2001 - 4:10 pm: | |
Nj:
I agree. Chore is more like it, but we didn't exactly force them to be in the TC, now, did we?
;-) |
Njjoseph
| | Posted on Friday, February 2, 2001 - 4:14 pm: | |
No, but at least we can be more polite to them -- they definitely deserve it and need it! |
Teach66
| | Posted on Friday, February 2, 2001 - 4:16 pm: | |
In any event I agree with Damellon. Somebody should have been overseeing the reassessment process. Even in volunteer work there is always a "Chairperson" of the "event" - there was nobody from the township ASSIGNED to this project? In that case it sounds like sloppy work on the part of the whole committee. |
Njjoseph
| | Posted on Friday, February 2, 2001 - 4:17 pm: | |
I nominate Teach66 to do so from this point on.
;-) |
Melidere
| | Posted on Friday, February 2, 2001 - 11:31 pm: | |
Hey Damellon...now that you have proven to our satisfaction that you really, truly HAVE conquered edit/copy, edit/paste, what's next in your bag of tricks?
Did you know you could do it using (control) c and (control) v? |
Waynecaviness
| | Posted on Friday, February 2, 2001 - 11:42 pm: | |
Melidere,
And your point is?????? |
Aruba18
| | Posted on Saturday, February 3, 2001 - 2:46 am: | |
Njjoseph,
If you think that the TC is so great and that they deserve our respect, then you need a serious lesson in politics. First of all, the TC was NOT respectful of all residents who showed up at the first meeting, and some were literally left "out in the cold" on the steps! And, even though there may be an occasional TC member who truly performs his/her job "for the good of the town", most of the members have over-inflated egos to begin with, and love being in power. By the way, has anyone realized that our current mayor has been a resident of our town for only six years? Maybe there should be a rule about a minimum residency time before running for mayor-it might improve our chances!
Damellon-I totally agree with your impression of the TC and their attitudes-you know, we don't HAVE to wait until November to have another election and get rid of this group-if we can get enough signatures on a petition to oust the current TC, we can hold an emergency election-is anyone interested in this idea? |
Overtaxdalready
| | Posted on Saturday, February 3, 2001 - 8:24 am: | |
Six years in one town sounds like plenty of time to qualify a person to run for mayor. |
Nilmiester
| | Posted on Saturday, February 3, 2001 - 11:36 am: | |
One party (either one), with too much control and power leads to over inflated egos. That is just human nature. Yes, move to Maplewood in 94, make yourself President of the Hilton Neighborhood Association. Get put on the Township Committee in 1997 (yes, I know voted but this is Maplewood Democrats, it is get put on), and then become Mayor in 2001. What's wrong with that? |
Buddy
| | Posted on Saturday, February 3, 2001 - 5:55 pm: | |
Aruba,
Minimum residency? Petitions?
Your comments are totally out of place. I sat in the 12th row on the night of that meeting and the TC members were VERY RESPECTFUL under difficult circumstances. Perhaps you didn't notice it because you spent too much time shouting while they were attempting to speak????
My taxes are going up. I live on the hill. I think that the TC members may have had a slow start but they have now picked up the ball and are running well with it. Adjustments have been/are being made. Fairness is taking hold. What is the issue?
There is absolutely no reason to "oust the current TC" (unless you are a republican operative)...
Start your petition. Right-minded people will see through it. |
Nilmiester
| | Posted on Saturday, February 3, 2001 - 6:11 pm: | |
Buddy- There are some "right-minded" people who happened to be Republicans that do not want to oust the current TC. The new group forming in town are democrats that are tired of the monopoly. Please move on and stop blaming us. |
Njjoseph
| | Posted on Monday, February 5, 2001 - 11:04 am: | |
Aruba, you need to show the same respect to the TC that you want them to show to you.
I am not commenting on their abilities at this time, as I am new to Maplewood, and they have a short track record with me. However, I am amazed at how much information has been disseminated here by Jerry and Vic (mostly Jerry, and I new about the taxes from him, here on this board, last summer!).
Obviously, you "outed" Harold, and it was the wrong Harold. Shame, shame, shame.
Aruba, what is your name, btw, because I expect to see you running for TC next election. |
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