Departments & Services
Tax Assessor
- The Mission of the Office of Assessment strives to maintain a
fair and equitable tax base for the community based on sound assessment
practices. Our plan is to treat all property types and owners impartially.
- The Assessor is responsible for identifying and placing a value
on every parcel of land within the confines of the Township's borders.
The values are derived through the formulation of models developed
from closed comparable sales and uniformly applied to comparable
housing styles for design, quality, and location. These values
become the final assessed values for residential properties and
should closely reflect 100% of market value.
- The final property assessed values are reviewed and updated on an annual
basis. For tax year 2006 and thereafter, the annual program will continue.
All assessments are based on market trends by neighborhood, styles, size
as of October 1, of the pretax year. Ratable totals may increase or decrease
depending on these trends and the property condition.
- All properties are scheduled for re-inspection on a four-year rotation,
which enables the adjustment of our property data base for alterations and
improvements that may not have had building permits. Any properties not
physically inspected will be estimated based on typical attributes of comparable
housing. Annual reassessing and the re-inspection process contribute to
more equitable and uniform assessments throughout the Township.
- Commercial Properties are assessed based on income and expense information
as well as sales data. Chapter 91's are mailed out annually to owners. The
data compiled from the responses enables us to develop economic rents that
are uniformly used on comparable rental properties. Compliance with this
request by the Township commercial owners is extremely important to arrive
at final assessed values representative of market value.
- There are five employees in the Office of the Assessor. The Assessor and
Deputy Assessor are responsible for the valuation and defense of appeals.
Annual inspections are performed by our field inspector and technical assistant;
inspections relative to sales are performed by our administrative assistant
along with other job duties.
- On or before February 1, 2006, all property owners will be forwarded a
postcard containing the updated assessed value for that tax year.
An aggrieved taxpayer may contact the Office to discuss their assessment,
visit the Municipal Building to review property data and closed sales, and/or
file an appeal with the Somerset County Tax Board. Be advised that closed
comparable sales are required for the defense of an appeal.
Current Programs
- Bernards Township has been actively engaged in an annual state
approved reassessment program since 1989. The program has financial
advantages, as well as creating a more equitable tax base. This
program provides the capability to address fluctuating market trends
upward or downward which has resulted in fewer appeals and reduced
loss in ratables. Additionally, the apportioned county share of
each municipality toward county taxes to be raised is more equitably
distributed. Sales studies, analysis, investigation, and reviews
are conducted annually with values being established reflecting
the market as of October 1 of the pre-tax year. An important part
of the program is the field inspection of every property, which
provides for updating of property data allowing for an equitable
assessment base for every property owner.
Important Dates
- February 1: Postcards go out with assessments for the current
year
- May 1: Deadline for filing of tax appeals
- May 20: County board of taxation to certify general tax rates
- August 1: Deadline for filing of farm assessment applications
- October 1: Valuation date for all real property in a district
Important Links
Departmental Contacts
Thank you for visiting our website. Please contact us whenever
an issue is important to you. The Township Committee and Administrator
depend on your thoughts and comments, to ensure that at all times
our service offerings are community driven.