Some 75 property owners in Maplewood have filed appeals of their property
taxes this year, according to Mayor Vic De Luca, a huge increase from the
usual 10 or 15 such appeals in most years.

"We have been in the single digits before, at the most a dozen or 15," he
said. "The value of home are going down, what they are assessed at. If you
can prove discrepancies, you can win that case."

The deadline for filing appeals was April 1.

The township committee discussed the issue in closed session Tuesday, where
they also finalized plans for the revaluation of all properties in 2010, a
move that will be reflected in the 2011 tax bills.

De Luca said the high rate of appeals could mean less revenue for the
township: "If we lose or settle cases, we have to pay that," he added. "We
would lose taxes."

On the revaluation, which has been a sore spot for some since the last one
in 1999, De Luca said the township has little room to fight the ordered move
by Essex County officials, who require one every 10 years: "It is pretty
clear we don't have a lot of choice." He expects the township to contract
with a revaluation professional to conduct the work by the end of 2009.