Montclair taxpayers received their recently issued tax bills which reflect changes based on the reassessed value of their property. Some tax bills increased in amounts greater than the spending increases approved in the municipal, school and county budgets – the atypical increase is a result of the township-wide reassessment conducted in 2011.

With the decline the housing market, Montclair property owners have filed 3,724 tax appeals since 2007. The appeals reduced the assessed value only on the properties whose owners successfully appealed. With only a portion of properties being adjusted to market value, an unfair shift in the tax burden was created that could only be adjusted through a township-wide reassessment.

Since reassessments adjust properties to market value, the properties whose assessments were closer to market value prior to the reassessment will see an increase in their tax burden.

Multiplying your third quarter bill by four will not accurately reflect your annual taxes – to determine your annual bill, multiply your new assessed value by the tax rate .03252.

The table below illustrates how the reassessment increased or decreased tax bills.