Resident Presses Council Over Property Tax Reval Swings as Affordable Housing Ordinances Advance
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The February 9 meeting's longest exchange came during public comment, when resident Eric Goldman told the council his property taxes are rising 9% under the borough's recent property revaluation, while some neighbors have seen increases of 10%, 25%, or more than $5,000 a year. Goldman said the swings appeared inconsistent -- citing a neighbor whose taxes stayed flat despite a kitchen renovation -- and asked the council to hold a public town hall on the reval. The mayor and council responded at length, explaining the countywide reval was ordered because assessed values had fallen too far behind real market prices, noting the borough's share of county taxes actually fell about 9% last year, and saying commercial properties have appreciated far more slowly than single-family homes, shifting more of the tax burden onto residential owners. Officials said they would not hold a town hall given the personal, financial nature of individual assessments, but offered to connect Goldman directly with the borough's assessor.
The council introduced three ordinances establishing an affordable-housing overlay zone, updated affordable-housing standards, and development fees, all required to meet a state-mandated March 16, 2026 deadline under the borough's fair share housing settlement; a companion resolution refers the overlay-zone ordinance to the planning board, which is expected to take it up at its February 18 meeting before a final public hearing. The council also authorized up to $1.7 million in bonds, financed through the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank, to pay for the borough's now nearly complete water meter replacement project (Resolution 49-26).
In public safety news, Chief Quinn's detective bureau, working with other law enforcement agencies and using license plate readers, social media, and phone records, identified four juveniles connected to a string of occupied burglaries and motor vehicle thefts at three Glen Ridge locations. The council also conditionally approved a Fourth of July fireworks display at the Glen Ridge Country Club, pending sign-off from the Montclair Fire Department, and approved raffle licenses for the Glen Ridge High School Home & School Association's duck race and a PBA fundraiser.
What to watch
- A regional transit survey on expanding weekend and off-peak train service, run jointly with Montclair and Bloomfield, closes February 20, 2026.
- The three affordable-housing ordinances must be finalized to meet the state's March 16, 2026 deadline.
- Portal Bridge construction begins February 15 and is expected to suspend direct Glen Ridge-to-Penn Station train service for about a month.