Middlesex Reassessment FAQs
In an effort to ensure fair property tax bills for all residents, the Borough is embarking on a program of annual reassessment. This program is an assessment maintenance program that runs for a five year cycle. The process calls for all properties to be assessed through an analysis of the real estate market, while 20% of the town’s properties will be assessed through an in-person inspection each year of the program. If your property is in the selected area, you will receive a letter in advance from our assessor notifying when the inspectors expect to be in your neighborhood. If you are not home when they first canvass the area, a postcard will be left with instructions for an appointment. Interior inspections are a quick process of verifying the information on the property record card or PRC.
The annual reassessment program helps to preserve values of properties in the Borough close to 100% of market value ensuring equality of taxation throughout the town. This process allows for a fair and accurate distribution of the overall tax levy, which covers costs associated with operating the municipality, school district, county, library, and open space. In addition, this program helps preclude the Borough from being in the position it was in a few years ago, when the State mandated a town-wide revaluation (which we had not done in 36 years), which proved to be expensive, and impactful to taxpayers who were not appropriately assessed in a program such as the one the Borough has currently structured.
It should be noted that each year in February you receive a postcard in the mail entitled, "Notice of Property Tax Assessment ". This postcard lists your property location and the assessment for that year. For instance next year's card will have the 2025 property assessment, along with your 2024 property assessment and property taxes billed for 2024.
If your assessment increased between 2024 and 2025, this DOES NOT mean that your property taxes will increase proportionately, nor does it mean your property taxes will increase by the difference between the 2024 and 2025 assessments. Even when assessed values increase, some homeowners may not see an increase at all, some may see an increase, and others may see a decrease. This is dependent upon the Library and Borough’s budgets, as well as the Board of Education and County budgets. Any increase in property taxes is based upon the tax rate. The municipal tax rate is set when each of the governing agencies who levy taxes have completed their budgets. This is usually done in July for the tax bills to be sent out for the 3rd quarter bill. You will not feel the impact of your 2025 assessment until the 3rd quarter in August 2025, because the 1st and 2nd quarters will have already been issued. Please see below for FAQs regarding the annual reassessment program.