North Wildwood Reval

N. Wildwood wants reval firm to explain process
By TRUDI GILFILLIANStaff Writer, (609) 463-6716
Press of Atlantic City
Published: Friday, February 24, 2006
Updated: Friday, February 24, 2006

— The city wants its revaluation company, Tyler Technologies/CLT Division, to explain the revaluation process and how the company came up with the city's new property values.

The city has 6,989 ratable properties, and the total value from the town increased from $866 million to nearly $3 billion once the company finished its assessment.

Councilman Robert Maschio, head of the council's finance committee, said the city has written to the company and is waiting for a response. In the meantime, Maschio said the city should not pay Tyler Technologies the remainder of the bill for the revaluation.

According to the city's Finance Department, the total cost of the revaluation was $450,000. Of that, $320,000 has been paid by the city so far.

“We're getting no answers,” Maschio said Thursday. “They should come before the finance committee and council and answer some questions.”

Maschio said he wants the company to explain how it arrived at its figures. “Who qualifies these individuals? Are they certified appraisers? What is their formula,” he asked.

Maschio was among the many residents who challenged Tyler Technologies initial assessment of their properties.

“They had me down for two lots when I had one,” Maschio said, adding he believes the revaluation was mismanaged.

While City Council waits for an answer, disappointed property owners who live outside the community plan to meet a second time to discuss the revaluation and what they can do.

Organizer Marge Schernecke said the group was overwhelmed by the response at the first meeting when more than 300 people showed up.

The group, now under the banner of the Wildwoods Taxpayers Association, plans to discuss results of the initial appeals to Tyler Technologies, share information about the tax-appeals process and talk about news that hundreds of condominium units have been built in violation of local building codes.

Those violations are the subject of a lawsuit filed by the Joint Construction Office of the Wildwoods.