| Author |
Message |
    
harpo
Citizen
Username: Harpo
Post Number: 1600
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 13, 2004 - 6:25 pm: |     |
Because of an error in computation, the most recent tax bills sent to homeowners in Maplewood are actually incorrect. They overestimate and therefore temporarily overcharge, apparently throughout town. It's my understanding that the TC is meeting now to discuss the error and its remedy. Although the school portion of the budget went up as planned, it is not responsible for the surprise many got when they received a higher bill than they expected. |
Joan
Citizen
Username: Joancrystal
Post Number: 3289
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, July 17, 2004 - 1:02 pm: | |
I read about that in the News Record. Considering how tight the budgets of many Maplewood families are as a result of the ever increasing taxes, this kind of error brings what may be unnecessary anguish to many. The real question is: How far off were the bills?
Hopefully, the town will do something to insure better quality control in the future. |
TomR
Citizen
Username: Tomr
Post Number: 283
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, July 18, 2004 - 9:44 pm: | |
Methinks that now that the Township has acknowledged that the bills are incorrect, thb more pertinent question is: what is the Township going to do about the error?
TomR. |
sac
Citizen
Username: Sac
Post Number: 1386
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, July 19, 2004 - 8:01 am: | |
Someone posted earlier that a correction would be applied to 4th quarter bills. I don't know if that was an official statement or just "what they heard."
If you pay via your mortgage escrow it is not likely to make a big difference one way or the other so long as it gets corrected in the same year. If you pay directly, I would think that you could take your case to town hall to pay the correct amount instead, but I don't know for sure. Given that the 3rd and 4th quarter bills are always higher to make up for underbilling in the 1st and 2nd quarters, I'm not sure that there is really an "interest free loan" to the township of any consequence here, though. |
bobk
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 5891
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, July 19, 2004 - 8:50 am: | |
Sac, the one possible problem is that the bank may recalculate your escrow account and start billing you, on a catch up basis, for what they see as a shortfall. |
yabbadabbadoo
Citizen
Username: Yabbadabbadoo
Post Number: 26
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Monday, July 19, 2004 - 10:06 pm: | |
See the Maplewood web site upper right corner. |
Joan
Citizen
Username: Joancrystal
Post Number: 3356
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, July 25, 2004 - 9:20 am: | |
The entire township committee was in the Village in front of the post office yesterday morning to explain the 3rd quarter tax bill calculation error to interested passers-by. The TC members were armed with extra copies of a letter to residential tax payers, a copy of which I received in the mail on Saturday, which explains that the over payment in the 3rd quarter will be deducted from the 4th quarter tax bill. The TC member I spoke with agreed that the incorrect 3rd quarter bill could have a negative impact on a mortgage payer's escrow account and suggested that anyone with this concern forward a copy of the TC letter to their mortgage lender. |
Reflective
Citizen
Username: Reflective
Post Number: 549
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, July 25, 2004 - 5:52 pm: | |
A copy of the TC letter to my mortgage lender.
Laughing out loud!!!
Anyone seriously think that a mortgage lender is in a hurry to correct an error in their favor? Also, given all the security hype about fraud, identity theft and counterfeit documents, does anyone think any mortgage company would take their supposedly official letter seriously?
Especially being next to the cartheft capital of the USA and part of the state which is the insurance fraud capital of the USA!
The TC member Joan spoke with, should resign for being out of touch with the real world, and the responsible staffer in town hall should go along with the mayor who is the highest signoff.
Not possible as the wagons are circled, so residents must do the only thing they can do, vote a new TC member on this November. |
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