Jackson mayor not ready for prime time
Posted by the Ocean County Observer on 09/7/07
The new government in Jackson has imploded. There's no other word for it.
Taxes are up, services are not, and it appears the new cast of leaders is not quite ready for prime time.
The old junta had the town affectionately known as the "People's Republic of Jackson." A fitting description what has followed is still in the works, although "disaster" comes close to filling the bill.
The last thing officials there need is to be seen favoring the few over the many.
So why then, did Mayor Mark A. Seda counsel one taxpayer on the inner workings and hidden mechanisms of filing a tax appeal? The mayor's advice helped the guy get his assessment cut, which reduced the amount of property taxes he pays.
But when the guy started sharing what Seda told him with others, Seda had this counsel:
"Mum's the word!"
The mayor's concern is that if too many people follow his secret advice, a lot of them are going to have their tax assessments cut. Which means they will pay less taxes to support the local government. Which means the remaining taxpayers, who got no inside information from Seda, will be asked to pay more taxes.
Seda's inside information is hardly confidential. The appeal forms are public records. So are the county Board of Taxation Records which reveal comparable assessments, and how property owners successfully prosecuted old appeals.
So the gig is up. Jackson property owners, like those any place else in New Jersey, who think their local assessor or reval firm has missed the assessing mark, can ask for, and get, a hearing before the county tax board. Unhappy with the outcome there, an appeal can be taken to the state.
It's not inside information, unless somebody like His Honor makes it appear like he's doing somebody a special favor by explaining the public tax appeal process.
Once he does, he can hardly expect a civic-minded good neighbor to keep his mouth shut. What Jackson needs is more people trying to help the taxpayers and fewer trying to keep them in the dark when it comes making sure everyone pays only their fair share of property taxes. |
