Revaluation Meetings Being Scheduled Now

February 24, 2009

(Livingston, NJ) – The Senior Community Center has been busy for the last few weeks as property owners meet with representatives of Appraisal Systems Inc. (ASI) to discuss their revaluation notices.  The last value letters have been mailed this week and the informal meetings with ASI representatives will be ongoing through March 10^th.

“If property owners have any questions about the value of their home,” said Township Manager Michele Meade, we encourage you to schedule a meeting.  Our goal is to make sure that all property owners have any questions answered and understand the basis for the valuation.”

Rick Del Guercio, President of ASI advises property owners to make their appointments as soon as they receive the letter from ASI.  “There are still plenty of dates available before March 10^th and we are scheduling meetings during the day, at night, and on Saturdays and Sundays.”

The informal meeting process enables ASI to share the neighborhood sales data and the detailed information collected for the property and allows the property owner to verify the data collected and share any additional information pertinent to the value.  ASI representatives will collect the information at the informal meeting but will not be making any changes to the value at that time.  The information collected is brought back to the appraiser who evaluates the data and determines if a change is necessary.  Each property owner who attends a meeting with ASI will receive a letter three to four weeks after the conclusion of the informal meetings indicating the decision made as a result of the information provided at the meeting.

Another tool available to residents is the ASI website which is available from a link on the Township website www.livingstonnj.org.  Click on “Livingston section of Appraisal Systems website” in the green box on the right and you will have access to all the sales data used in the revaluation process, the old and new assessments for all properties as well as a place to calculate what your 2008 taxes would have been with the new assessment.  Meade noted that “This information is being shared with the community to insure that property owners can understand the values and have confidence in the uniformity of the process.”

The annual assessment notice, which is a postcard from the Township Tax Assessor, will be mailed by March 15, 2009.   As it does every year, the postcard will indicate the final assessment for the year 2009 and contain details about the ability for property owners to file an appeal.  Due to the fact that this is a revaluation year, the tax appeal deadline will be May 1, 2009.

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