Essex County Orders Full Property Revaluation in Glen Ridge; Council Approves New Truck, Reviews Historic Permit Rules
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Glen Ridge homeowners will soon see mailers, and later visits from field appraisers, after Essex County ordered the borough to conduct a full property revaluation. The county required the move because the gap between recent home sale prices and current appraised values exceeded 80%. Officials said mailers will go out within days, appraisers visiting homes will wear police-issued badges and vests, and one-on-one meetings with homeowners are expected around August or September.
In other business, the Council voted 6-0 to approve the purchase of a new 2024 Ford F250 XL truck for $74,815.50 from Nielsen Ford, using a state cooperative purchasing agreement; the truck replaces a 2006 model with more than 100,000 miles on it. Council members also held an informal public hearing on a proposed update to the Historic Preservation Commission's rules, meant to align local review standards with federal Secretary of Interior guidelines and add a faster "minor review" permit option for smaller projects. About a dozen residents attended, and the ordinance is headed back to committee for more work before it comes up for formal introduction.
Residents were reminded that a contracted crew wearing borough-issued ID badges is continuing a townwide water meter replacement program, and anyone who hasn't scheduled a swap yet was urged to do so before summer. The Council also unanimously approved payment of the borough's routine bills list (Resolution 70-25) and a measure (Resolution 71-25) letting the borough administrator get ahead of processing future road closure applications. A resident raised concerns that repaving on Washington Street raised the road surface by about two inches, effectively flattening the existing speed humps; officials said an engineering review and contractor fixes will happen once spring road work begins. Councilor Meyer congratulated the Glen Ridge High School girls basketball team on a strong season, and Councilor Law reported that, for the first time, the same vendors have been retained for both field aeration and chemical treatments, with fields to be marked during any treatment. The Council also unanimously approved a social affairs permit for the Glen Ridge Music Parents Association's event on April 10th at the Women's Club.
What to watch
- The Historic Preservation Commission ordinance returns to committee before any formal introduction.
- Homeowners can expect one-on-one revaluation meetings with appraisers around August or September.
- An engineering assessment and contractor adjustments to the Washington Street speed humps are expected once spring road work begins.