Orange Transcript

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Owners get six-week extension on tax bills

By Patrick Justin Fahey

Staff Writer

City Council Vice President Donald Page sought to have the courts rescind the city’s recent property revaluation, but his colleagues chose not to make a decision. However, property owners will have more time to pay their fourth-quarter tax bill.

Page’s resolution would have granted the city administration permission to ask the courts to eliminate this year’s property revaluation. The revaluation of properties caused some property owners to face large property-tax increases. The measure originally was placed on Tuesday night’s consent agenda, hut later moved to the regular agenda.

Councilman Edward Marable asked how the city would find the money for another revaluation. The revaluation cost the city $400,000.

City Attorney Marvin Braker said he believed Page’s effort was futile.

“This resolution will not rescind the revaluation. This will not undo the order,” said Brisker, “Even if that were possible, monies for taxes already paid will not he returned and this body does not have the power to vacate a court order.”

Page introduced a resolution during the Oct. 3 council meeting which asked for the revaluation to be overturned. His measure was rejected because it appeared that council members did not have the power to do that.

This resolution was worded more carefully. It requested “that the Municipal Council of the city of Orange hereby approve the resolution requesting through the court the rescission of the first 2006 property revaluation, taken by order of Judge Vito L Blanco, and request a second property revaluation that is fair and precise. The Municipal Council also approves that taxpayers be allowed to pay their original tax rates until this entire situation is reviewed, scrutinized and corrected.”

In the end, council members did not vote on Page’s resolution, instead choosing to move discussion to another date.

However, after Patricia Weston Rivera, an Orange lawyer leading the property owners’ opposition, asked the council to pass a resolution extending the deadline for payment of fourth- quarter taxes from its Nov. I deadline, Braker and Chief Financial Officer Jack Kelly met behind closed doors and drafted such a resolution.

The measure was approved by council members and a tax extension was granted until Dee. 15.

The resolution was a simple one “Whereas, the administration and Municipal Council of the city of Orange Township, in art effort to provide additional time to submit payment due for fourth-quarter taxes, desires to extend the time for payment to December 15, 2006;

“Whereas, property owners have requested an extension of the November lst deadline;

“Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Municipal Council of the city of Orange Township that the payment of fourth-quarter 2006 taxes are hereby extended to Dec. 15, 2006.”