Taxes and budget

Townwide property revaluation

The county tax board has ordered Montgomery to revalue every property, now for tax year 2029. A revaluation does not change the total the schools, county and township raise; it changes each owner's share. Assessments now average 52.81% of market value.

Checked against the primary record on . Every figure on this page is sourced at the foot of the article.

Ordered for tax year 2029; no firm hired Last moved

What happens next

The Somerset County Board of Taxation meets November 10 and December 8, 2026 at 12:00 p.m., 27 Warren Street, Somerville. It is waiting for the township's revised timeline. The state's approval of a new tax map is expected in the first quarter of 2027.

How it works. A revaluation resets every assessment in town to full market value as of October 1 of the year before. It does not change how many dollars the schools, county and township raise; the tax rate falls in proportion. What changes is each owner’s share: a property whose value has risen faster than the town average pays a larger share, and one that has lagged pays a smaller one. Montgomery’s assessments average 52.81% of market value for tax year 2027, by the state’s measure.

Who decides. The Somerset County Board of Taxation orders a revaluation and recommends any extension. The state Director of Taxation approves the order, approves extensions and must sign the revaluation contract. The Township Committee must have a state-approved tax map, write the bid specifications, adopt the funding and award the contract. The Tax Assessor, Carolyn Bower, files the compliance plan and oversees the work. Owners can seek an informal review of their new value and appeal to the county board.

Where it stands. The county board ordered the revaluation on January 14, 2025 for tax year 2028, and the state approved the order. Two days later, on January 16, 2025, Deputy Mayor Vince Barragan told the Committee, in the meeting video’s captions, “THERE IS NO NEAR-TERM IMPACT FOR ANY RESIDENT” and “MOST LIKELY THOSE FIRST HOMES WON’T BE IMPACTED UNTIL 2030.” On March 12, 2026 Mayor Neena Singh wrote asking to move it to tax year 2030. The county board recommended a one-year extension on July 14, 2026, and its August 11 minutes record the Director’s approval of tax year 2029. The new tax map is expected to be approved in the first quarter of 2027. No firm, contract or cost has been made public.

What residents can do. Attend or follow the county board’s meetings, watch the Township Committee agendas for a bid, contract or funding ordinance, and see the explainer for the timeline the state’s rules imply.

The revaluation, explained

Timeline

Each dated event on this issue, oldest first, linked to the full sourced entry.

  1. Resolved County tax board orders a townwide revaluation for tax year 2028The Somerset County Board of Taxation approved an "Order to implement a municipal wide revaluation in the Township of Montgomery for tax year 2028." The state Division of Taxation approved the order, as the Township Committee was told on February 20, 2025.
  2. Resolved Township asks to move the revaluation to tax year 2030A letter from Mayor Neena Singh asked the county tax board "to extend the order for a municipal revaluation to tax year 2030," two years after the ordered 2028. The letter's reasons are not in the public record.
  3. Resolved County tax board recommends a one-year revaluation extensionOn the township's request to move the revaluation to tax year 2030, the county board voted to recommend a one-year extension to the state Division of Taxation and asked for an updated timeline. The motion passed unanimously on a roll-call vote.
  4. Pending State approves moving the revaluation to tax year 2029The county board's August 11, 2026 minutes record "approval received by the Director, Division of Taxation to extend the revaluation until tax year 2029." On September 8 the board was still waiting for the township's revised timeline; the new tax map is expected to be approved in the first quarter of 2027.

Explainers

  • Montgomery's Property Revaluation, Explained

    The Somerset County Board of Taxation has ordered Montgomery to revalue every property, now for tax year 2029. A revaluation does not raise the total the schools, county and township collect; it resets every assessment to market value, so each owner's share of that total shifts. How it works, who decides each step, the record so far, and what is not known.

Documents

The township's own records on this issue. Each links to the official copy.

Sources for this overview

  1. Somerset County Board of Taxation, minutes (January 14, 2025; April 14, July 14, August 11 and September 8, 2026)
  2. NJ Division of Taxation, 2027 Certification of Average Ratios (Chapter 123)
  3. NJ Division of Taxation, "Revaluations" guide
  4. NJ Division of Taxation, County Tax Board Handbook (§§807.13-807.21)
  5. Township Committee meeting video, January 16, 2025 (captions, about 1:31:20)
  6. Township Committee minutes, February 20, 2025, p. 11 (state approval of the order)
  7. Montgomery Township, Finance & Tax page (Tax Assessor)
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