According to a notice posted on a bulletin board outside the Middletown Clerks Office the date for the Township's accelerated tax sale has been set for Tuesday December 28th and will take place at 10:00 am in the Courtroom of the Municipal building. After looking over the notice last night during the Township Committee's monthly workshop meeting, it seems that approximately 1,300 township residences and businesses will be up for sale for the lack of paying property tax and/or sewage bills.
Some of those included in the tax sale owe as little as $27 (606 Main St.) while others owe upwards towards $85,000 (820 Navesink River Rd), the vast majority however seem to owe $2,000 or less.
As of right now there has been no notice or information of this sale posted on the Township's website, I have looked diligently for it after hearing about how to find Township Committee meeting minutes that were missing from their usual place and can find nothing.
I am sure though that over the next few days notices will start to appear in local publications announcing the sale and the properties that will be included. It would just be nice if residents could have access to this information before hand n the name of open and transparent government.
13 comments:
Of course, you realize that what is being sold is a tax lien on those properties, and NOT the property, right?
And you realize that Middletown, like every municipality in the state, is required by law to hold this tax lien sale once per year, right?
http://www.state.nj.us/dca/lgs/taxes/collection/elements_of_tax_sales_nj.shtml
My understanding is that the number of people who are delinquent this year is about the same as in past years, the only difference being that this year's tax lien sale is being "accelerated" in order to save the taxpayers from having to raise the funds anticipated from the sale.
So the "news" is "what?"
Jay,
If I were to attend the tax sale on the 28th, I could "purchase" the rights anyone of the properties that have a lien against them by paying the taxes and interest that is owed.
The owner of property must then pay me back any amount that I would have paid to the township plus interest. If that property owner did not or could not pay me then I have the right to have them evicted and sell that home. So, in essence you are buying the properties when you purchase a tax lien.
Read the series of articles, like this one:
http://www.app.com/article/20101207/NEWS/101206104/Lien-sales-ruin-NJ-homeowners-benefit-investors-towns , in the APP.
it explains it much better than I can.
The purpose of the post was to inform people of when the sale would be with a little background info, that's all.
I am sure that a majority of properties that were list will not even make it to the sale, like the one that only owes $27 ( I think the township spent more to list that one than what is owed ), most will have paid what is owed before than.
Jay,
for you and others watch this APP video,it explains the process pretty well.
http://www.APP.com/section/videonetwork?bctid=692582141001
Mike,
Firmly believe this "Jay" is either the mayor or the deputy mayor trying to justify the arrogant nonsense that is government in this township today.
If that is not correct,the truth is not far from it,of that you can be sure.
The ads required in the newspaper cost more than what is owed in some instances.....unless of course they don't bother to print the REQUIRED NOTICES as can OFTEN TIMES HAPPEN in the execution of business in this township today ....and it is going to get WORSE !
Jay,
I think that one of the major points that MM is trying to make has to do with the lack of infornation and transparentcy exhibited by the Middletown Township Committee and subsequently the Middletown administrative officers. In keeping with a 30 year tradition, it wasn't until today, December 8, that information was actually posted on the Middletown website regarding the consequences of not paying taxes on time. The legal requirement to hold the tax lien sale is secondary to keeping the public informed -- the fact that there is a legal issue should have been posted on the Township website long ago.
In the past the Mayor has used the reverse call system to inform the public of those events that can be described as communicating a 'favorable' message with linkage to his voice. What prevents the Mayor from using the reverse call system to get out the changes in tax policy and prceedure? Could it be what may be considered the 'bad' news associated with changes that were made in July and Mayor Scharfenberger's inability to be seen, or heard, in an unfavorable context. Could it be the Mayor's commitment to his mantra: 'Good politics, before good government, always'?
Pilgrim
Is sleazy Gerry's middle name "Jay"? I think you should look into that Mike.
Rick,
His middle initial is "P".....guess that stands for "Politician" or "Poor Excuse" or something like that.
Sleaze personifies republican politics in Middletown in these last few years and it gets worse each year.
Anon at 12:52
It's fair to say that communication about this has not been stellar.
However, people were sent notices in their tax bills in July outlining the new due date, and then that due date was actually extended until the 22nd (to pay without penalty). Notices about the tax lien sale and the way to pay after the 10th went in the late notices.
Could the town have handled it better? Yes.
Is it part and parcel with the invented plots, election maneuvering, and "evil intent" bandied about here?
Not even close.
"JAY"
if you are part of the administration and want to inform us all....PUT YOUR NAME TO YOUR RANTS !!!
Still believe you are this excuse for a mayor !!
Maybe it would be more productive to have the township's administration (the professionals we employ) make some public announcement to STILL THE CRITICISM that you all so richly deserve than for you to run your mouth off on Mike's blog.
You forget we are all entitled to our opinions and I think this township's current TC majority sucks !
to ANON at 9:35 AM
You say: "I think this township's current TC majority sucks !"
Too bad for you that the rest of the town doesn't think so (See election results).
9:35 AM -
With the rancorous tone of the posts being written on this blog, why in the world would Jay want to reveal his real name?? For heavens sake, anyone here who even dares to utter a hint of a word of approval for the Township Administration gets pilloried and excused of being , oohhhh horrors, the God Forbid, Mayor. What a crime! Maybe you haven't noticed, but the only one I've ever seen use his real name in a post is Mike himself.
You say we're all entitled to our own opinion, well here's mine: I don't think the mayor or any of the Committee has any interest in this blog and I highly doubt they would bother to post to it. Furthermore, I appreciate the time Jay has spent trying to inform Mike's readers of the details of the tax sale. Thank you too, Mike, for posting the links to the APP articles.
As they say in the blogosphere - flame suit on!
I guess some people here aren't used to posting on the internet.
Kind of funny though that most of those who accuse me of being somebody I'm not are posting anonymously, huh?
The information I've posted is readily available. I suppose the debate - if you can call it that - is about how much information and in what format the town administration is responsible for publishing, posting, or otherwise disseminating.
I have already said that the effort hasn't been stellar, but others seem to think that there are conspiracies afoot...
Thanks for the support River Plaza DG!
Nobody is happy with the way this has been handled. Nobody.
Transparency is absent in government today in this town.. Oh for the days when TC members were approachable and effective and efficient..e.g. .Rosemarie Peters,Rick Brodsky,Pat Parkinson,Tom Hall and Byrnes and Short also and many before them....shall I go on?
These four can't and don't compare to the previous committee members..
regardless of election results.
People are voting party lines not for individuals..... it has not produced good government.
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