Changing the Meaning of a Quorum

[SAdams]

This is just lovely. Just change the meaning. Don't need a full quorum or even half. Two out of 5 ain't bad. But then again, look at the revenue not coming in. So the State has to do something. Re-assessments.

Pretty soon they will be changing the meaning of a quorum for Councils, and other boards to make their system work.

This is scary.



Mt. Laurel, Hainesport lose round in tax fight

By CAROL COMEGNO • Courier-Post Staff • May 16, 2009



A tax court judge on Friday refused to reconsider her earlier ruling that the Burlington County Board of Taxation may issue property reassessment orders to municipalities despite having only two board members.
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The ruling was on a procedural, pretrial issue involving Mount Laurel and Hainesport.

Meanwhile, the judge has yet to schedule court hearings on the main appeals by the two townships of county reassessment orders based on alleged lack of merit.

Both Mount Laurel and Hainesport townships argued Friday that tax court Judge Gail Menyuk should change her April 1 decision that two members on a five-member tax board constitute a quorum when there are three vacancies as there are in Burlington County.

Township lawyers argued that Ocean County, which has only one of its complement of seven board members, was told by a deputy attorney general that it could operate but could not issue orders or make other board decisions. The same deputy attorney general told Burlington County it could issue orders with only two board members.

Menyuk said no Ocean County matter was before her on appeal.

She also said state law does not specify how many members a tax board must have.

"I am very disappointed in the ruling and will consult with the township to see whether it wants to further appeal to the Superior Court Appellate Division," Mount Laurel solicitor Christopher Norman said.

He said he believed the Ocean County situation presented "a new and important fact."

Hainesport solicitor Ted Costa said he, too, is disappointed in the "arbitrary nature" of the court decision and that each township will have to decide whether to further appeal that issue.

He said Hainesport does not believe a reassessment is warranted.

"The county tax board's argument that local properties are underassessed is an argument that has been self-corrected by the declining real estate market," Costa said.