TOMS RIVER, NJ – After a recent reassessment of home values in Toms River sent property taxes for many senior citizens soaring as much as 100%, Mayor Mo Hill continued his tour of those senior communities this week to meet with the residents affected by the massive valuation spikes.
Some seniors in the community have reported their property taxes have as much as doubled after the township re-evaluation. Many also said an appraiser never visited their home or entered their homes for a proper valuation.
Hill’s administration said the remote and virtual reassessment was conducted due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. The township has yet to divulge how this virtual reassessment was conducted and which factors and data were used to determine the new valuations.
Last month, Toms River Council President Kevin Geoghegan and Hill said the township’s senior citizen community home appraisals were too low and that seniors had not been paying their fair share in taxes for years. Geoghegan said, “It is what it is.“
At that meeting, when challenged by community members and Councilman Daniel Rodrick, Geoghegan responded, “Unfortunately we have to do two things in life…pay taxes and die. None of us like paying taxes. I get it. Obviously, we only hear from people whose taxes go up…it is what is.”
This week, Mayor Maurice Hill visited the Gardens of Pleasant Plains, his fourth visit to a senior citizen community so far in 2022.
“The mayor was joined by Tax Collector Carl DiLeo, Tax Assessor Bill Laird and Director of Human Services JoAnn Benson, providing the community with accurate information about the recent property revaluation, and making sure the seniors are informed about all of the property tax breaks available to them,” said Hill’s confidential employee, Art Gallagher. Gallagher was hired by Hill in January with an $89,000 salary to create press releases and take photographs of Mo Hill for the Toms River Township official Facebook page.
Gallagher did not give any context of the meeting or relay what Hill told the senior citizens during the meeting.
