'Towns like Seaside Heights are already borrowing money to rebuild boardwalks and other shore attractions, which will impact tax rates for years, he said.'
I know this needs to be done, but did they even try to raise the money any other way 1st? selling "boards" to familys or individuals, for instance? fundraisers?

I understand if you file because of damages the tax man may take off a bit but then what? When the home is repaired he'll probably come around, inspect the inside and outside and perhaps you'll get hit with an even bigger bill than you have now because of all the "improvements". Do you really think they will be fair and cut you a break? I'd rather do nothing and lay low and get lost in all the confusion.

yeah taxing all of the people who come down and use and abuse the area instead of the people who live there. try an across the board payroll cut in Washington, they are the only people in america who have never suffered in any of the hard times. they always get their raises and bonuses.. get the money from where it needs to come from, not from the people who always suffer and give.. WE ARE DONE GIVING!!! time to take back AMERICA!

OK, why does none of this surprise me...my big question is, where did all this "relief" money go to??? Didn't the total amount of money collected on behalf of Sandy victims, towns, etc., total over $400,000,000!!! Where is it and what is it being used for??? The Madison Square concert w/both Bruce & Bon Jovi collected over $100,000,000??? Where did that money go...why can those dollars be used to offset some of these impending "increases" to help those of us living on the shore impacted with all these losses...I know Red Cross helped out in NY but in the Brick area, the only "groups" I saw that actually were helping were our neighbors...the VFW on Adamston, the New Beginnings Christian Church, Visitation Church, the folks hosting food all day over at the Brick PAL, the Police who were keeping watch over the waterfront areas and the Brick workers who were out clearing out and cleaning out all our streets...here in Cherry Quay, our neighbors gathered food and drinks and were setting up over at the park as well as folks who came knocking on doors with homecooked meals for those still able to live in their homes but without kitchens...!!! Just can someone please "show me the money"???

Absolutely sick and disgustingly disgraceful that township officials are so quick and seemingly 100% sure that taxes will rise as a result of Sandy. Haven't we suffered enough?? Not to mention "school budgets"... Funny... No Berkeley Twp school were damaged in the storm?? I am a resident of South Seaside Park who is paying more for taxes on a small house than I would a huge house in Toms River (and no I am not waterfront). Will you be happy when you drive your residents out of their homes??? I'm sure no one making these decisions is suffering. And 100% agree... Where is all the relief money going??

millions of dollars are going to find its way into the corrupt hands ....and in the meanwhile the tax payer get s stuck paying the bill as usual.

i read an article back awhile that berkeley may loose 30 % of it s ratables due to the storm, does that mean everyone s property tax municipal portion will be raising 30 % ?? scary. cant sell my house now, and not looking too good going forward a couple years either...... doomed we re all doomed......

This is why I wish people who donate and fundraise would put it directly into helping rebuild so taxes wouldn't have to go up dramatically. Instead all the fundraising money is probably just going into politicians pockets

So where did all the money donated and the $50billion from the Feds go. If it's not going to homeowners and it's not going to local governments to rebuild - where is it going?

Funny, how are you going to tax MORE with a plummeting land value and a nonexistant house -- how about firing some public officials who are sucking off the taxpayer teat -- im sure we could do away with plenty of them

This is the definition of a Death Spiral.

2013 is going to make Sandy look like a sunshower.

Lets see, people were barely hanging on before Sandy. Now we are supposed to believe they are going to be able to pay 30% more in property taxes, 300% more in insurance , fix their houses with out of pocket expenses and raise their houses. All on houses they will never be able to sell at anywhere near the Ponzi bubble assessed value.

Wake up !!!!!!! Time for the RESET.

If Everyone just said NO. What are they going to do. The publics are never going to stop it themselves. You are going to have to stop them on your own. Otherwise keep paying for their bloated salaries and benefits, until you wind up homeless , so they can live in comfort.

Wake up !!!!! They work for you !!!! If you can no longer afford them , well then they must be let go or cut 50%.

Everyone brace for the next hurricane we get this year. If we get another hurricane new jersey is toast for good

I know, from talking to FEMA, that any grants are filtered through the State, then County, then Local governments before there is ANYTHING for individuals.
Can you imagine that in NJ???? I can say with certaintly there will be $0 left. The governments will be able to use the money for where they see fit, like hardeneing and mitgating their own facilities first.

You need to take the bull by the horns and STOP relying on the "gevernment" to fix YOUR problem. Go to SBA and take a loan against your anticipated flood insurance payout. If you didnt have flood insurance (hate to say it) too bad, you should have taken care of YOURSELF.

Toms River will be in for a major increase. All homes in Toms River will see a tax increase like they never have before. I feel sorry for the Mayor and councilpersons, they are in for the worst time ever. Would not want to be running in town for anything over the next few years.

After 3 tax appeals over the past 10 years I finally had my house at a rate that was fair to both parties. My house was destroyed by Sandy and is set for demolition, condemned by Toms River officials.. Does this mean they'll cut my taxes again but then tax like they did when I first started once we rebuild? Doesn't make sense...Why would they pour salt into an already bleeding wound?

Raise my taxes a few hundered dollars, I understand,, raise my taxes anything past that - I walk away. I will leave my home to the mortgage company to deal with on their own. I owe mare than what the house is worth, the insurance company wont pay me enough to fix it correctly - FEMA has their guide lines, I do not have cash out of pocket for thousands of dollars of repairs not $50,000 to raise it.
Bottom line, If I walk away - I spend $4000 for a good bankruptcey attorney out of North Jersey and in 5 years - I'm back on my feet. My second option - I will wait for a few fellas from lakewood to offer me cash for the land,, and I'll walk.. they will build their city. property taxes will go up - and another town will crash. - Town by town, fall by fall, we will soon begin to see this pattern.. Just watch... it's only a matter of when this is going to happen. A guy down the block from already packed up and abandon thier home. another couple are seriously looking at this today - it's taking too long to resolve issues and ongoing problems. Everyone dragged their ass all the way up to the white house.. the people are the ones who ALL got hurt here,, not just one - EVERYONE - who lives with in 5 miles of the coast line.. from AC to NYC. it's katrina all over again. this times - it's the Tri-State area on a much larger scale..

Well if your property taxes are currently at the robbery figure of 10,000..... You can expect the town and county to go up 30%.... So that is about 1500 increase for the 30% on their half of the bill. The other half of the bill is for the baby sitting cabal. While they will not be able to take full advantage of the hurricane , they will not let the crisis go to waste and probably can push for 10%. So that will be another 500 increase on their half of the 5000. Now you have your property tax increase of 2000. Finally remember this is not just a one year increase but will be year after year after year. Get 3 jobs if needed but the public employees expect their vigs to be paid and don't be late !

Toms River government is in over their heads. They have never had to deal with something of this magnitude and its complexities. Some think they are doing a good job . I thought so initially when Mastronardy was in charge. Now I wonder who is in charge. I live in Ortley Beach. I go there on the days I am allowed and I see very slow progress on all fronts. I hear my neighbors stories of items being stolen from their houses. One thing I am certain of is that while our recovery of our homes is going slowly, Toms River's recovery of their taxes and the hikes in all insurances will move at warp speed.

Why dont they impose a tourism tax on all businesses on the barrier islands and areas where the tourists like to visit??? Let them pay to rebuild the areas they like to vacation in....I dont go to sleaside why should I pay for it??

just remember, it was you that voted those politicians into office. the county free holders, who spend money without any requests or votes. they just add another tax or another bond. look at the township budgets and go to meetings. tell those idiots NO! if they don't listen petition them out of office. how many of you voted for the sheriff who had not been in his office for years? two months after he's re-elected he dies. Anybody else know he was sick? as I said, you voted for these people.

Right...appealing a tax increase and succeeding is akin to presenting yourself before Torquemada, during the SPANISH INQUISITION, and trying to convince him that you are not a heretic.
BTW...where are our NJ US SENATORS in all of this? Before "SANDY" there was a breaking scandal on DRUDGE re. Menendez...flying out of Teterboro Airport on a private jet and visiting said owner in the Dominican Republic...where he "promised" to pay a pair of "Sporting Women" $500 for "entertainment"...but then stiffed them and only coughed up $100. The other one, aka THE MUMMY RETURNS, has vanished...perhaps to assist in the further abrogation of our CONSTITUTION.
Perhaps it would be wiser to defund ALL wasteful FEDERAL AGENCIES, as well as the New Egyptian MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD Government, "FEEL-GOOD" third-world assisted fundings, et al, and utilize those funds for OUR REBUILDING!
"QUEM DEUS VULT PERDERE, DEMENTAT PRIUS."...Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad.

I don't get it. Seasiderebuikds their boardwalk and the homeowner gets taxed? Don't rebuild the boardwalk. Leave it natural and let the mayor and politicians take a pay cut. Worse case scenario, a one time special assessment. Taxpayers shouldn't be paying for the same storm 20 yrs. from now.

Raising taxes is a joke...just an excuse for more pocket padding for politicians, the feds picked up a majority of the cost, taxes in ocean county are already obscene, raising them will just make more people flee the area and or state, and you cant blame them

EVERYONE NEEDS TO LOOK AT THIS >http://www.tomsrivertownship.com/downloads/FEMA-ABFE-Review-Letter.pdf SEE ATTACHMENT B1 IT IS THE LETTER FROM TOMS RIVER ENGINEER ASKING FEMA TO CHANGE ORTLEY BEACH TO A "V" FLOOD ZONE. THIS IS THE WORST ZONE WHERE NEW DEVELOPMENT AND REBUILDING ARE SEVERELY IMPACTED AS WILL BE INSURANCE AND CONSTRUCTION COSTS. WHAT A GREAT HELP THEY ARE.

In addition to redundant fees, if you rebuild in OB2 you also have to pay $300 for a "planner" who decides what you can and cannot do. Therefore, before you break ground it will cost $500, payable to the OBYC Association. The majority of the lots are 30' X 50'. Why is the additional expense of a "planner" needed? Our rules and regulations prevent "living space over living space" and TRT agrees with the "rules & regs" and our taxes go to TRT not OBYC. There are exceptions to the "rules & regs", especially on Melody Lane and, in some cases, by the bay.However, anyone with a '30 by 50' lot has to pay the "planner" even though the house is only 520 sq. feet. The services are back but the rebuilding/repairing will take a long time. There are not enough honest and fairly priced electricians and contractors in the State of NJ to get everyone "up and running" by the 2013 season.

Isn't it ironic that taxes were one of the main reasons this country was formed in the first place. I guess history is not the great teacher folks think it is. If you don't get out and vote and get involved with the decision making, well then you get what you deserve.

Really??? Didnt the people around here suffer enough!!! We already pay out the hole for the taxes! Nice way to push people further down in the mud!!! And didnt fema help pay for over time, debri removale ect. So why are our taxes going up?

With the increase of taxes and hopefully federal money, I cant help but wonder which one of our slimey politicians will be caught with his or her hand in till first?

Where is Chris Christie with all his promises. My taxes have increased since he has been in office. His 2% cap never worked, now the storm and all these towns using excuses to gouge more of the residents with tax increase. Get rid of employee's, end of story. I don't care, do without. We will have to be short on police, cut down garbage to one day. Do what it takes.