Waterfront Homeowners Outraged At Spikes In Property Assessments

By Chris Lundy - February 3, 2010
In the wake of a township-wide revaluation, some waterfront homeowners said they’ve been saddled with unreasonable home assessments that will lead to higher taxes.

Jerry Bollettieri was one of several residents complaining about higher assessments at a Township Council meeting. They were all from the Glen Cove section of town, which includes Butler Boulevard and several streets on the bay. Bollettieri said his assessment went from $160,000 to $500,000.

He said the only thing that can come of this is a string of foreclosures. “It’s going to force out the seniors who can’t pay.”

The figures on the assessments are far too high, he said. “No one would buy the houses for that much,” he said.

The assessments are based on credible sales information, Berkeley Township Tax Assessor Eric Zanetti said after the meeting. The sales are justified for 2010. They are based on sales of similar properties between October 1, 2008 and September 30, 2009.

The last revaluation was done in 1991, he said. The township was ordered to do it in 2005. When there is that much of a time lapse, there is bound to be increases.

Councilwoman Karen Davis suggested that some of the residents pursue the senior property tax freeze, which would keep taxes stable for qualifying people.

“I know some are not happy. I have a lot of faith in (the appeal) process,” Council President Carmen Amato told the residents. “We’re going to make sure the revaluation was done in a fair way. And we’re going to make sure we’re available to assist the residents in the appeal process.”

The problem with the appeal process is that there haven’t been enough sales in this area to mount a successful argument, said Glen Cove resident Bruno Nadalin.

The responsibility to prove that an assessment is wrong falls on the owner. Residents have to find similar properties that have sold for different amounts during a specific window of time.

“When the market collapses, we are stuck with high prices because some idiot paid that much,” he said.
He noted that the assessors tacked on a figure of $250,000 for being on the waterfront, a figure he called arbitrary, particularly because the waterfront homeowners are in a legal dispute for riparian rights.
“We are no longer bayfront owners. We are bayfront viewers,” he said.

Peter Liberi, a Butler Avenue resident, said his assessment increased from $126,000 in 1991 to $545,000. “If the township wanted to give me $545,000 for this house, I’d sell it tomorrow,” he said.
The land itself was valued at $450,000.

“The land is not worth that kind of money,” he said. The increase in his assessment, and the matching increase in taxes, will make him pay more attention to where those taxes go. “People like me who haven’t bothered to get involved in politics, now they will.”

Another resident, Frederick Papa, said the taxes on his home went from $6,000 to $12,000. The house is assessed at $162,000 and the land is assessed at $550,000.

“I bought this home in 1993 for enjoyment, not for an investment,” he said. He questioned that if his property value doubled, does this mean that an inland property was halved?

Charles Femminella, president of Certified Valuations, the company that performed the revaluation, said that what Glen Cove residents are feeling is not unusual. Glen Cove is a waterfront area that hasn’t been assessed in almost two decades. It’s not out of the norm to see a property like that come in at $500,000, he said. In fact, many are assessed at $1 million.

“I don’t have any preconceived notions (as to what to assess a property). We look at sales of similar property,” he said. Adjustments might be made. For example, two and a half baths to just two. “We’re not trying to get a high number or a low number, but a correct number,” he said.

The staff members will contact the township assessor for accuracy. Sometimes the township assessor knows information about a neighborhood that would be pertinent for determining an assessment. Then a letter is sent to the taxpayer. Informal hearings are held if corrections are needed. “We’re not there to defend the numbers, but make sure they’re correct,” he said.

“We realize the impact of what we do,” he said. That is why they strive for accuracy … So many homes were underassessed” in Berkeley, he said. “Different kinds of property appreciates at different rates.
“What happened in Berkeley is very typical in the state of New Jersey,” he said.

Residents Tell Congressman About Health Care, Social Security Woes

By Chris Lundy - January 27, 2010
It wasn’t changes in health care and other issues that brought questions during a town hall meeting with a congressman last weekend, it was the lack of changes.

A group of more than 100 residents of nearby towns, a majority of them seniors, attended the town hall-style meeting at the Berkeley Municipal Building Saturday held by Rep. John Adler (D-3rd). He is up for re-election this year.

Those who spoke described trying to survive when their health bills go up and their Social Security doesn’t.

Celia Frederick, Berkeley, said she fell between the cracks of the health care system after she turned 60. She went through several options, including finding a full-time job just for the benefits. She pays $42 a month now.

“It’s insult to injury,” she said.

Ed Dickerson, Ocean Gate, questioned how the head of a pharmaceutical company can get a $1 billion buyout “while people are struggling with their co-pays.”

Councilwoman Judy Noonan said that she has heard doctors tell patients to get treatments now because there won’t be Medicare payments around later.

Toms River resident Bob Shehata said he had to drop his health insurance when he couldn’t afford it any longer. Then when a bill comes around to reform health care, it becomes a political issue rather than a people issue.

“The Republicans fight the Democrats, the Democrats fight the Republicans. And we’re the ones who suffer,” he said.
Adler said he voted no on the health reform bill because there was no cost savings.

“We need health care reform, but it has to make sense,” he said, describing the bill as 2,000 pages with nothing in it.
One real change that is needed is a restraint on lawsuits to keep doctors’ liability insurance in check, he said.

Social Security, and the lack of an increase in the cost of living adjustment, was another issue.
Nick Sasso, Toms River, asked why someone can’t stop the government from “raping” the Social Security fund, and why no one has paid any money back into it.

Adler said that the government should be cutting back on spending the way most families have, but it’s not. He also said that there needs to be alternatives to dipping into Social Security.

He said he introduced a bill earlier in the week that would provide $250 to people living on Social Security, Veterans Disability Benefits and other federal retirement programs. It’s not enough, he admitted, but it’s a small step.

Michael Adler of Bayville, who is unrelated to the congressman, said the recent 10 percent unemployment figure is faulty because it doesn’t count “the people who have given up and the people who have used up their unemployment.”

Despite the emotional topics, the crowd was very polite airing their grievances. Many of the questions had an air of helplessness about them.

Carol Milin, for instance, noted how overwhelming the process of trying to get a law passed is. “You go to vote on a bill, and then they add 350 pages on it.”

Adler, who at one point referred to the Senate as “dysfunctional,” said that bills should be smaller so the average person can read them.

After the meeting, Joseph R. Rullo, who is running against Adler this year, said, “John is an old friend. And I respect him.” However, members of Congress should get the same health care that veterans and seniors have, he said.

Residents Give Town An Earful On Snow Removal

By Daniel Nee - January 20, 2010
Residents in several areas of Berkeley complained that their streets seemed like the last ones plowed after the blizzard last month.

Residents as far apart as South Seaside Park, just north of Island Beach State Park, and Holiday Heights said the township should have cleared streets faster.

Sara Jarosz of Holiday Heights said she felt disillusioned. When moving here, she was told it was a community that took care of its seniors.

A neighbor measured the snow in her area at 32 inches. She asked the governing body for “a little more consideration.” One of her neighbors suffered a health emergency Tuesday morning. If it had happened Monday, when they were still snowed in, she might have died, Jarosz said.

Angelo Coppolino, another Holiday Heights resident, said he had to call the mayor’s office several times.

“I don’t think residents should have to call the mayor’s office to get plowed,” he said.
Kathrine Fulcomer of South Seaside Park said she felt “orphaned” by how long it took to get the streets plowed.

Mayor Jason Varano said that Berkeley has been talking with Seaside Park about sharing services such as plowing but have not come to an agreement yet.

Jarosz lives on a court. Varano said the township has 280 courts. They present a special difficulty because they need front end loaders to clear.

Crews went out at about 9 p.m. Saturday to clear snow, he said. The goal was to get all the snow up within 24 hours of the end of the snowfall. The end came Sunday morning. He said it was more like 29 hours. He agreed it should have been cleared by Monday morning.

“I wish we did better,” he said.

However, this was not a normal snowstorm, he said. This was a blizzard with two feet of snow. In South Seaside Park, there were four-foot drifts. Additionally, a lot of people were on the roads when they shouldn’t have been, he said. This compacts the snow and makes it harder to plow.

There are 200 residents on dialysis, and they were on priority, he said. In one case, crews had to dig out an ambulance.

Main throughways take precedence over smaller streets so emergency crews can go through. The crews rotate the order of people being plowed, he said. If one street is the first plowed after a storm, the next one it will be last.

“We could always do things better. We try to learn from each experience,” Varano said, suggesting that next time they might get more outside contractors lined up in advance if the storm is going to be that great.

“Someone’s got to be first and someone’s got to be last,” he said.

For Local Officials, Water Rate Is All Wet

By Chris Lundy, December 9, 2009
Mayors in Berkeley and Toms River are angered by a 37 percent water rate increase proposed by United Water Toms River.

“People are hurting. It seems ridiculous to increase it now,” Berkeley Mayor Jason Varano said.

For the average residence, this would be an increase of about $13.13 a month, said Jane Kunka, manager of public affairs for United Water Toms River. The area affected will include Toms River, South Toms River and Holiday City in Berkeley Township.

For the average home in this area using 5,300 gallons a month, it amounts to an annual change from about $400 a year to about $550 a year.

“It's never really a good time to raise rates,” Kunka said. “We don't want to raise them.”

About $29 million in major projects are the cause of the increase, she said. A new iron treatment plant in Toms River, a new treatment plant in Berkeley to remove naturally occurring radionucleotides and 3,000 feet of water main are the bulk of it.

Additionally, overall expenditures have increased, such as labor, benefits and energy costs, she said.

The last increase was for 62 percent, she said. The BPU split it up into two phases, one starting in November of 2008 and one starting last month.

The BPU also prevented United Water from including the construction projects in the 2008 increase, since they were not done yet, Kunka said. They were told to petition again after July 2009.

The increase petition was filed with the State Board of Public Utilities November 18.

Particularly difficult is that this increase is going to hit a large senior population in Berkeley when there has been no increase in Social Security this year, Varano said.

“United Water should not be spreading the cost within three communities,” he said, rather they should be spreading it nation-wide.

“We think it's too much at one time,” Toms River Mayor Thomas Kelaher said. “The timing is bad.”

He said township officials will take the opportunity to oppose it on record with the board at public hearings.

“Water companies probably have some of the same problems towns have,” Kelaher said, referring to rising insurance rates and other expenses. “We have caps set by the state. It appears that doesn't apply to regulated utilities.”

It's difficult to say if United Water Toms River's petition is on par with other utilities, said Doyal Siddell, public information officer for the BPU. Every company proposes a rate increase sufficient enough to cover operations and earn a reasonable rate of return. There really isn't an average.

Public hearings will be scheduled locally for people to comment on the proposal, he said. There is a nine month time frame for the board to make a decision. The petition could be accepted, rejected or changed.

Redeveloper Named For Beachwood Plaza

By Chris Lundy, December 2, 2009
REC Centers, LLC was named the redeveloper of the Beachwood Mall and some of the surrounding area, which will likely bring large commercial ratables to Bayville.

If everything goes according to plan, REC Centers, owned by a member of the D'Onofrio family – a prominent developer – will bring about a mix of retail, offices, open space, big box stores, single family residences and a movie theater, Mayor Jason Varano said.

A sticking point the township wanted was a “Main Street,” Varano said. There's Route 9, but there isn't a pedestrian-friendly line of open stores and restaurants with patios. Above these would be homes or offices.

“It could be gorgeous,” Varano said. “This is going to be a welcome center. It will redefine the Route 9 corridor. It could be a destination for the surrounding areas.”

The entire property is about 500 acres. The retail portion that REC Centers has been named to redevelop is about 130 acres, he said. The property itself is still privately owned.

As to why REC Centers was chosen, Councilman Nathan Abbe said the state required that Berkeley name a developer. REC Centers came forward early in the process and met all the criteria.

However, just having the name does not set it in stone, he said. Another developer could still purchase it if this falls apart.

“This is good for Berkeley Township,” Abbe said. “It gives us commercial tax income. When the commercial ratables are occupied, it will give even more.”

The timing for the construction is still far off. Just getting to this point was more than a decade in the making, he said. “The economy is a question mark at this time,” he said.

While working at the State Department of Environmental Protection, Varano said he's seen a lot of developers pulling out of projects because they don't have the money. He said he was grateful that the redeveloper has stuck with the project given the current economy and the roadblocks that were in the way.

One of the largest hurdles was CAFRA, the Coastal Areas Facility Review Act, which governs how much construction can be made on land close to certain waterways. It was determined that only 30 percent of this land could be built upon, Varano said.

Given the cost of cleanup, the percentage was raised for a buyer to even break even, he said.

There is a five acre pile of coal tar on the property. There is also a possibility of buried barrels. The existing mall itself has to be demolished. The Department of Transportation wants Route 9 improvements for the area in front of the mall. Beachwood officials have stated they want improvements to Mizzen Avenue as it pertains to the property as well. Estimates on the cleanup have ranged from $20 million to $150 million, he said.

The area was named “an area in need of redevelopment,” a term a lot more technical than it sounds. It means that the redeveloper can apply for grants and state assistance.

And there will be more steps along the way.

First, the developer has to get approval for the site plan from the planning board, county and state. REC Centers has stipulated that all approvals must be gained before the purchase is even made, he said.

If everything goes according to plan, the redeveloper could have a plan before the township planning board in spring, he said.

There will be public hearings throughout the process in the next few years of development, Varano said. “We're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel,” he said.