Why North Arlington homeowners oppose Random & Rolling Reassessments.
Republicans Del Russo & DeCicco are in favor while Democrats Balwierczak & Sever are opposed.
Here’s a breakdown of why so many homeowners in North Arlington are strongly opposed to “random” or “rolling” property tax reassessments.
Some of their concerns are specific to North Arlington, others more general to rolling revaluation systems.
What are “Rolling” or “Random” Reassessments?
“Rolling reassessments” means that rather than revaluing all properties at once on a fixed schedule, only a portion of properties (blocks, lots, certain areas) are reappraised in a given year. Over time, the whole area gets updated, but there’s no one big revaluation event.
“Random” is often used (by opponents) to refer to the perception that the process seems arbitrary — who is picked in which year or which lots are revalued — or that there’s no coherent schedule.
Why so many North Arlington homeowners oppose this process that is only applied in 10% of New Jersey municipalities:
Here are the major reasons, pulled from local reporting plus common issues with these systems:
Unpredictability and Financial Burden
Because not all properties are revalued at once, individuals don’t know when their home will be reassessed and how much its assessed value will change. Big increases can happen in a year, which many aren’t expecting or financially prepared for.
This is especially hard for those on fixed incomes (e.g. retirees), or families whose income doesn’t rise as fast as housing values in their area. Sudden jumps in taxes can strain budgets.
Perceived Inequity and Fairness Problems
Since only some homes are reassessed at a time, homeowners in those parcels can face large tax increases while neighbors whose lots weren’t reassessed that year see no change — even if both have similar market value changes. This creates a sense of unfairness.
People worry that the criteria for choosing which properties get reassessed are opaque or arbitrary. Is it based on location, condition, sales, political considerations? This lack of transparency breed’s distrust.
Administrative Costs / Process Concerns
Frequent inspections (sometimes yearly for certain properties) can feel invasive, burdensome, or like “tax assessor visits every year.” People complain about assessors going door‑to‑door, taking photos, etc.
Also, there are concerns about whether the cost of inspections and revaluations in smaller slices is “worth it” or more efficient than doing a full revaluation every few years.
Political Concerns / Motivations
Many homeowners believe rolling/reassessment practices are being sustained for political reasons: because they allow tax‑rates or budgets to increase or be defended piecemeal, or because some neighborhoods are systematically picked more often, etc.
Some believe that officials promise that overall “average” taxes haven’t risen, but individual bills tell a different story.
Lack of Transparency / Difficulty of Appeal
Homeowners report that notices of new values aren’t well explained, deadlines to contest aren’t clear, or the metrics used aren’t transparent. If a reassessment feels wrong, the process for appeal may be difficult.
Cost of Living / Affordability Impacts
Higher property taxes (via increased assessments) contribute to the overall cost of living. For many, taxes are among the biggest fixed costs. Sudden increases may force people to cut back, move, or face hardship.
Specific Local Details: How It’s Being Done in North Arlington
North Arlington has contracted firms (e.g. Associated Appraisal Group, Inc.) to conduct a reassessment program. Part of it includes inspecting 20% of properties each year.
The purpose, per borough letters/communications, is to maintain up‑to‑date valuations aligned with market trends. But many homeowners feel the outcome is large increases in assessed value (and thus tax liabilities) without sufficient communication.
Summing Up
In short: many homeowners oppose rolling / random reassessments because they make tax liabilities unpredictable, can lead to surprise hikes, feel unfair relative to neighbors, are costly and opaque, and can disproportionately impact those with limited means.
To be clear, Republican incumbents Kirk Del Russo and Amanda DeCicco enthusiastically endorse these random/rolling reassessments while Democratic council challengers John Balwierczak and Cengiz “Jim” Sever oppose them and promise to revert to a process where reassessments are once every 5 to seven years that will end unnecessary property tax hikes and bring fiscal sanity back to North Arlington.
That can only occur with the election of Balwierczak and Sever on Tuesday, November 4th.
Elections have consequences for North Arlington!
MEET THE CANDIDATES THIS WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8TH AT THE ARLINGTON DINER BEGINNING AT 7:00 PM