Legislation Assembly Democrats Nancy Pinkin, Joseph Lagana, Vince Mazzeo and Raj Mukherji sponsored to make it easier for homeowners to understand when property assessment appeals are due was approved 76-0 by the full Assembly on Monday.
The bill (A-3566) would amend current statute to require the statutory notice of annual assessment, usually mailed in late January, to contain the deadline to file an appeal of the assessment in boldface type.
“Since the notice of assessment does not require any immediate action by a property taxpayer, such as writing a check to the tax collector, the consequences of the notice of assessment on the amount of subsequent tax bills often passes largely unnoticed until well after the appeal deadline of April 1,” said Pinkin (D-Middlesex). “The bolded notice is intended to remind property taxpayers of the quickly approaching filing deadline for appeals.”
“Information as important as this shouldn’t be hidden in the fine print,” said Lagana (D-Bergen/Passaic). “Highlighting it in boldface type is the right way to go.”
“I see no reason why this important information should be tucked away where it’s easy to be missed,” said Mazzeo (D-Atlantic). “Making this information as clear as day is, quite simply, common sense.”
“Important government information should always be immediately visible and clear,” said Mukherji (D-Hudson). “This is the right and responsible thing for everyone.”
The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.