BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Brace yourselves, Bloomfield – property taxes may be about to go up.
Many Bloomfield residents recently got an unpleasant surprise when they checked their latest tax bill estimate and saw a huge increase. But while the sticker shock may be due to processing “errors” that were inadvertently mailed out, there is still a potential tax hike on the horizon, officials say.
Mayor Ted Gamble offered more details about the situation in a statement on Tuesday:
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“Residents of Bloomfield, I know many of you were shocked when you recently checked your 3rd quarter estimated tax bills. I have been working with finance department to address the budget for weeks and this came as a shock to me as well. Today, our finance department identified multiple errors in how these were processed by Edmunds, who physically prints and mails the estimated tax bills and populates information on our website. Checks have been put in place to ensure more accurate estimates go out in the mail.”
It’s worth noting that the town is still in a “challenging position” with this year’s municipal budget, Gamble added.
“There are many things we are facing including the rising cost of services, salaries and wages for 400+ employees and rising insurance costs,” the mayor said. “We are at a point where we need to make the tough decisions so the residents are not burdened with an overwhelming tax bill.”
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Gamble said there is a public Town Hall meeting planned for 7 p.m. on Monday, July 1 in the council chambers at 1 Municipal Plaza. Township officials will be on hand to answer questions and “have an open dialogue” around the proposed budget, which is expected to be introduced at the council meeting on July 15.
The July 15 meeting of the Bloomfield Township Council will take place at 6:30 p.m., also in the council chambers at 1 Municipal Plaza.
Bloomfield residents can access their tax/utility bills and account information online here.
Councilwoman Jenny Mundell – who recently emerged victorious in the hotly contested Democratic primary election for mayor – also spoke about the town’s financial situation this week.
Mundell wrote:
“In an effort to keep our residents as informed as possible and dispel any rumors or misinformation circulating online regarding the estimated tax bill and our municipal budget, I wanted to share the following information with you. Several factors contribute to increases in our budget, including the rising costs of insurance and waste disposal, as well as contractual obligations and payments into the pension system. These rising costs are challenges that all municipalities are currently facing due to the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 crisis as well as persistent inflation.”
“Moving forward, I will ensure a budget process that involves other members of the council, aside from the mayor, far earlier than occurred this year,” Mundell continued.
“Personally, I am doing everything possible to push for the most responsible and palatable increases, knowing we are facing rising costs as noted above,” she added, acknowledging that seeing an estimated tax increase without explanation was likely “shocking” to many residents.
Mundell pointed out that the town council doesn’t have authority over taxes on the state, county or school levels – only the municipal budget.
In 2023, the average Bloomfield homeowner paid $11,561 in property taxes on a home valued at $353,851, up about 2 percent from the previous year, according to state data. Read More: Property Taxes In Bloomfield (See Latest 5-Year Breakdown)
Property taxes in New Jersey are mainly made up of three parts: school, municipal and county. Here’s how that played out in Bloomfield for 2023:
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