Tuesday, October 28, 2008

REVALUATION UPDATE LETTER FROM THE EDGEWATER PARK TAX ASSESSOR

EDGEWATER PARK  REPORTER NEWS FLASH

See information and email sent to me this morning from Candidate for Township Committee, Chuck Ryder, concerning a Revaluation Order from the Burlington County Board of Taxation.

Please read my comments at the end, E.P. Reporter





----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Chuck Ryder
To: edgewaterparkreporter@yahoo.com
Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2008 7:56:10 AM
Subject: FW: REVALUATION UPDATE

 



Dear Edgewater Park Reporter:
 
    I would appreciate if you would publish the attached copy of a letter sent to the County Tax Board from Edgewater Park's Tax Assessor on behalf of Township Committee to request a postponement of the Reval Order.  I don't know why the Township didn't appeal the order back in June when they had the legal opportunity to do so, as Mt. Laurel and Hainesport did.  A day late and a dollar short, all of a sudden they have concerns about the housing market and our declining home values.  These issues were just as bad back in June when they had a legitimate recourse to do the right thing and file an appeal. Missed opportunities seem to be the forte of our governing body.    
Thank you,   
Chuck Ryder 
 _____________________________________________________________________________________
*********************************************************
 The Residents of Silver Park (Dennis this means you) should read this letter. It reveals the true position of the Township Committee on the Burlington County Tax Board's Order to conduct a Revaluation of properties in Edgewater Park. 

Mr. Ryder also has copy of correspondences from the Tax Board that shows the Tax Board has been warning the Township Committee during the past two years that Edgewater Park needed to do a revaluation. The Burlington County Tax Board is presently comprised of two members who are both Governor Corzine Democratic Appointees. 

The Burlington County Tax Board is supposed to have five members, according to the State of NJ,whose membership majority reflects the political party that controls the Governors Office, so the Burlington County Tax Board has three vacancies. I have verified this information with the links highlighted, so that you can verify this information.

The Edgewater Park Reporter

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Does this mean our taxes will go up again like they did in Riverside?

Anonymous said...

Chuck- How did you get this letter? I think the Silver Park residents who have been coming to township meetings and their association president need to see it. They think that the town will be doing a reassessment and that the elected officials are supportive of this. I guess we were fooled and I for one will not forget it.

Anonymous said...

Dear Edgewater Park Residents,

Looks like Joe and I are getting under the Edgewater Park Deputy Mayor's skin. The BCT published a letter from her today, titled Official responds.

Donna said, that the municipal tax increase was about 5 cents. What she didn't say was this is an increase of 5.4% over last year or that the municipal tax increases have averaged over 6% for the past 9 years.

Donna states the Cooper Street Project didn't lose any grant funding, and she is correct. What she didn't say was that the Cooper Street Grant was awarded in 2004 and that the township delayed the project start, by making changes to the original scope of work, so that the West Franklin Ave could be additionally improved for the third time in 30 years. This 3 year delay and changes to the project, resulted in the reduction of the original project Cooper St improvements, due to the increases of engineering, labor and material cost during the past five years! Just look at how much the price of concrete has increased. The work to be done on West Franklin Ave was not reduced as it was on Cooper Street.

Donna said that the Sewerage Authority was not evicted, but that it was moved due to a lack of record storage space. Well Donna, you must not have read the Jan. 17, 2008 Township Administrator's letter that was sent to the Sewer Authority by Administrator Dougherty and copied to all Township Committee members. You can link to this letter and other correspondences about this letter at http://www.lpcnj.org/OGTF/ESPA.pdf.

Donna also said that the reason the committee didn't accept the $500,000 NJ Green Acres Grant was on the advice of their attorney, because of the restrictions the Grant would have placed on municipal-owned recreation properties. Well she didn't tell you that these restrictions (use of the fields by any NJ state resident) already existed due to the Township Committee including all recreation in the open space plan given to the state as well as the Weimann Field Complex and Wood Lake Park. The last two were purchased and improved with prior NJ Green Acres Grants. This is why the township had to borrow additional money to pay for properties that the grant was to pay for. One is the property next to the Municipal Building and the committee wanted to build a new municipal building on it, instead of making it part of the Weimann Field Complex as intended when purchased. The Green Acres restrictions do not allow for any buildings on land to be purchased as open space.

Donna's last statement has some very interesting information. The Kove relocation is based on that property being subdivided into two lots (this has been done and approved by the planning Bd) so that the new Kove Catering Building can be constructed on one lot and apartments/condos on the second lot. The property is zoned for commercial buildings not high-density residential housing. This plan was posted on the township web site and shows the proposed apts/condos. As to the Route 130 corridor in Edgewater Park, you only need to drive along 130 to see the poor job Edgewater Park has done with it's section of Rt 130.

I will try and see if the BCT will print this rebuttal.

Anonymous said...

Dear Edgewater Park Residents,

Looks like Joe and I are getting under the Edgewater Park Deputy Mayor's skin. The BCT published a letter from her today, titled Official responds.

Donna said, that the municipal tax increase was about 5 cents. What she didn't say was this is an increase of 5.4% over last year or that the municipal tax increases have averaged over 6% for the past 9 years.

Donna states the Cooper Street Project didn't lose any grant funding, and she is correct. What she didn't say was that the Cooper Street Grant was awarded in 2004 and that the township delayed the project start, by making changes to the original scope of work, so that the West Franklin Ave could be additionally improved for the third time in 30 years. This 3 year delay and changes to the project, resulted in the reduction of the original project Cooper St improvements, due to the increases of engineering, labor and material cost during the past five years! Just look at how much the price of concrete has increased. The work to be done on West Franklin Ave was not reduced as it was on Cooper Street.

Donna said that the Sewerage Authority was not evicted, but that it was moved due to a lack of record storage space. Well Donna, you must not have read the Jan. 17, 2008 Township Administrator's letter that was sent to the Sewer Authority by Administrator Dougherty and copied to all Township Committee members. You can link to this letter and other correspondences about this letter at http://www.lpcnj.org/OGTF/ESPA.pdf.

Donna also said that the reason the committee didn't accept the $500,000 NJ Green Acres Grant was on the advice of their attorney, because of the restrictions the Grant would have placed on municipal-owned recreation properties. Well she didn't tell you that these restrictions (use of the fields by any NJ state resident) already existed due to the Township Committee including all recreation in the open space plan given to the state as well as the Weimann Field Complex and Wood Lake Park. The last two were purchased and improved with prior NJ Green Acres Grants. This is why the township had to borrow additional money to pay for properties that the grant was to pay for. One is the property next to the Municipal Building and the committee wanted to build a new municipal building on it, instead of making it part of the Weimann Field Complex as intended when purchased. The Green Acres restrictions do not allow for any buildings on land to be purchased as open space.

Donna's last statement has some very interesting information. The Kove relocation is based on that property being subdivided into two lots (this has been done and approved by the planning Bd) so that the new Kove Catering Building can be constructed on one lot and apartments/condos on the second lot. The property is zoned for commercial buildings not high-density residential housing. This plan was posted on the township web site and shows the proposed apts/condos. As to the Route 130 corridor in Edgewater Park, you only need to drive along 130 to see the poor job Edgewater Park has done with it's section of Rt 130.

I will try and see if the BCT will print this rebuttal.

Anonymous said...

way to go Chuck!! I wish you the best of luck in this upcoming election. I hope that the paper does print a rebuttal but I wouldn't count on it, seems they only support the Dems!

Anonymous said...

I just read the BCT article and talk about misinformation. How come the are so few street lights being put in that were supposed to light the way all along Cooper from the shops to the train if the projected wasn't reduced. Why is W. Franklin getting done for the third time when my street S. Garden looks like it's in Iraq?
Don't think for a minute that I believe the sewer authority used $1000.00/month in electric and supplies when only there three days a week. Deputy Mayor,I ask you why would the township be paying for supplies for the sewer authority anyway? As far as I know they paid all their own expenses like supplies, telephone, internet, except for the small electrical use from computers & lighting, which is minimal. And where are all these records that that office was so desparately needed for, it still looks like an office not astorage room as Mayor Hall said it was going to be. Mayor Hall also said the sewer authority wasn't evicted but I saw the eviction letter posted here somewhere earlier in the year and there's no way the tone of that letter was a relocation; they were told to be out by August 2008 and you sent their $12,000.00 check back to them as if the township couldn't have used that money. Hey EP Reporter, why don'tyou post that evictionletter again so the readers see who is putting out misinformation. Thanks

Anonymous said...

I think I have to agree with Chuck Ryder on that one. Loss of value on grant money resulting in reduced scope of projects from taking too long to begin is basically loss of money no matter how you sugar coat it.

Anonymous said...

I recently received a small folder mail piece from Pullion & Booker that stated our state aid was cut by $280,000.00. I thought that half of that amount was given back to EP. Does anyone know the real reduced aid number? The $280K is definately wrong or misinformation to make the higher taxes this year seemed justified.