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Council approves $6 million for citywide property revaluation after residents ask how costs will be covered
Summary
The Newark Municipal Council approved a $6 million emergency appropriation to complete a citywide property revaluation, prompting residents to question cost, timeline and whether reassessment would raise taxes for longtime homeowners. City officials said the work is statutorily required and will be completed over about two years.
The Newark Municipal Council voted to approve a $6 million special emergency appropriation on Feb. 19 to fund a citywide property revaluation, responding to resident questions about the cost and whether higher assessed values could raise property taxes.
Why it matters: Revaluations reassign assessed values across tens of thousands of property records and can change individual tax bills even if the city's total levy is unchanged. Residents at the council meeting asked whether the effort would increase taxes for longtime homeowners and demanded an itemized explanation for the $6 million cost.
What the administration said: Eric Pennington, the city's business administrator, explained that New Jersey statute prescribes periodic revaluations; Newark had not had one in approximately 13 years and the current contract with a vendor, ASI, will cover inspection and assessment of roughly 53,000 property lines. "The $6,000,000 will be paid by the taxpayers just like everything else in this budget is being paid," Pennington said. He said the process will take until roughly 2027, and that the revaluation is an equalization exercise intended to assign assessed values consistently across properties rather than an automatic tax increase: "This is not a tax increase process. It is an equalization ratio process so that the taxes across those 53,000 lines will be equitably assessed." (Eric Pennington, Business Administrator)
Resident concerns: Several residents pressed for greater detail on how the money will be spent. Deborah Salters asked why the cost had apparently increased from earlier estimates and requested an itemized budget. Other speakers worried that reassessments could lead to higher tax bills for seniors and low-income homeowners.
Council action: Council members questioned whether the city could have paid less, whether there were only a small number of firms that perform this work, and whether phasing or deliverable-based payments would be used. Pennington said only a few qualified vendors operate at this scale in New Jersey, and that the contract allows invoicing tied to deliverables over the multi-year engagement. The measure passed on roll call.
What residents asked for next: Requests included an itemized breakdown of the $6 million appropriation, clarity on payment timing and deliverables, and outreach to homeowners about how the revaluation process will affect individual assessments. Council members asked the administration to provide additional details at a future meeting and to schedule town-hall outreach in affected wards.
Ending: With the appropriation approved, the administration and council indicated they will continue public outreach and provide updates on the timeline and methodology. Residents and advocates told the council they will watch for follow-up reports and itemized invoices to ensure the work is completed transparently and without undue burden on longtime Newark homeowners.
