Westfield Could Be Forced To Reassess Homes, State Officials Say

Westfield, NJ -- It's been 30 years since Westfield has had a property revaluation and that could change.

The New Jersey Division of Taxation announced Thursday it is investigating five municipalities including Westfield, that have not performed a revaluation in more than a quarter of a century to determine whether one should be ordered.

The five towns include: South River in Middlesex County, Harrison and East Newark in Hudson County and Westfield and Winfield in Union County.

"The new investigations are part of a broader effort to ensure that all New Jerseyans pay their fair share of the property tax burden," according to a release by the Division of Taxation.

According to the 2016 municipal budget, the average assessed homeowner in Westfield is $180,300.

Last month, three towns - Jersey City, Dunellen and Elizabeth - were ordered to complete a revaluation by Nov. 1, 2017.

These eight total towns have been deemed the least compliant in the entire Garden State in terms of updating assessed property values.

The mayors of each town have been mailed letter notifying them of the investigations. Phone calls and emails to Westfield officials were not immediately returned.

A public hearing will be scheduled in the coming months to hear comments from residents regarding tax value in town.

• Residents who are unable to attend the public hearings during the investigation can also submit written comments to the Division at PropReval@treas.nj.gov or to the following address: N.J. Division of Taxation, Attn: Property Administration, 50 Barrack St., P.O. Box 240, Trenton, N.J., 08695.

Westfield along with the other four towns has the lowest Director's Ratio in the state.

"The ratio represents the relationship between the assessed value and the true value of all property. A ratio that is lower than 85 percent is considered not in compliance with the State Constitution, which requires uniform taxation," according to the release.

Westfield's Director’s Ratio is 24.62 percent. The 2015 True Value of property in Westfield exceeds Assessed Value by $5.6 billion.

Another Union County town, Winfield has not had a revaluation in 44 years, and its Director’s Ratio is 8.36 percent. Winfield, which consists of Co-Op units for veterans, does not have property sales. The 2015 True Value of property in Winfield exceeds Assessed Value by $15.1 million.

• These five towns are part of the state's larger effort to crack down on towns who have been delinquent in complying with state law. A total of 32 towns could ultimately be ordered to complete a revaluation because their property hasn't been assessed in 25 years or more. Read more about that here.