Average Property Tax Bill Rises In Mendham, Chester

New Jersey's property taxes, which are the highest in the nation, continue to rise. And even as state officials have sought to provide financial relief during the COVID crisis, the vast majority of taxpayers will still have to dig deeper into their pockets this year.

The data released this month comes from the state Department of Community Affairs. On average, the state's property taxes rose 1 percent, from $8,953 to $9,112, between 2019 and 2020. It was lower than the 2 percent cap former Gov. Chris Christie put into effect in 2011, according to the analysis.

By contrast, between 2018 and 2019, the average homeowner's tax bill rose from $8,767 to $8,953, an increase of 2.12 percent.

Locally, Chester Borough saw the largest increase, jumping 3.03 percent to an average of $13,400. Conversely, Chester Township's $15,739 average presents a .05 percent bump. In Mendham, the Township's average of 19,794 is a 1.32 percent increase and the Borough's figure of $16,053 is a 2.06 percent rise.

The tax data tables also show that tax ratables rose 2 percent statewide since 2019, an increase above the five- and 10-year historical averages, with total ratables now at $1.118 trillion. The majority of municipalities in the state had average residential property tax decreases or increases under 2 percent.

"We're delivering on our promise to provide property tax stability while restoring New Jersey's fiscal standing and growing our economy," Gov. Phil Murphy has said. "Statewide property values have grown more in the first two years of my administration than at any point since the Great Recession. That's what we call progress."

Thanks for reading! Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Have a news tip you'd like to share? Got photos? Please include express written permission from the photographer for us to use them. Or maybe you have a press release you would like to submit or a correction you'd like to request? Send an email to russ.crespolini@patch.com

Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter. You can also have them delivered to your phone screen by downloading, or by visiting the Google Play store.