TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON—Township officials said they would look into the background checks being conducted on employees from an appraisal company that is scheduled to begin appraising local homes as part of a property revaluation recently approved by council.
No official start date for the township-wide appraisal has been announced, and officials said they did not anticipate any delays due to employee background checks.
Councilor Michael Ullman said he believed the township should conduct its own separate background checks on employees from Appraisal Systems Inc. of Fair Lawn, who will be requesting to enter township homes during the upcoming township-wide property revaluation.
Administrator Mark DiCarlo said he would speak to the appraisal company and Police Chief John Calamari to find out what might be done and whether the background checks that the appraisal company conducts on employees are on par with the background checks that the township would conduct on employees and volunteers.
“To me to ask, Are they given a thorough background check or at least the equivalent to what we do when we hire someone to work with individuals,” said Ullman, citing background checks done on recreational employees and coaches to say “that they’re safe to be around children.”
Officials said it was likely the employees are screened for a criminal record, as well as registries screened for other potential criminal activities.
Most councilors wanted to confirm that the employee checks covered all the necessary bases, and met the police chief’s approval.
At the Sept. 9 meeting, council approved resolution 24-309 to award a five-year, $470,000 contract for township-wide reassessment services to Appraisal Systems Inc. of Fair Lawn. The company’s was the lone bid received for the appraisal.
According to the resolution, the property value reassessment will begin as of Oct. 1, 2025, for the 2026 tax year, and continue yearly through the 2030 tax year. The first year township-wide reassessment costs $230,000 and years two to five cost $60,000 per year.
Council president Michael DeSena requested DiCarlo to consult with Appraisal Systems Inc. and the police chief to see if the company’s employee background checks are similar to the checks conducted on township employees.
He said if the checks are “acceptable” to the police chief, DiCarlo should let the council know.
Councilman Tom Sears said adding another layer of security is “well worth it for the money we’re paying” and that it could help reassure residents.
Ullman noted that only the Appraisal System employees who will enter township homes should be checked.
Ullman said homeowners benefit by letting an appraisal company employee into their homes to see the condition of the home.
In February, township tax assessor Sarah Holbig told the council that the township was likely on the county’s list to be mandated to complete a full property revaluation, which could cost at least $100,000 more than a reassessment, if it did not act soon on a reassessment or revaluation. (See “Push on 2024 property reassessment” by Michael Olohan on Feb. 11, 2024 on thepressgroup.net.)
She said the last full revaluation of township properties was done in 2014. She said the assessment to sale ratio is currently 73.33%, according to the state Division of Taxation. She said when the ratio drops to 85% or below, the town should reassess.
She said the purpose of a reassessment or revaluation is not to increase or decrease taxes, “but appraise the values in a municipality according to its true and fair value.”
Holbig told council she felt it best for them to begin a property reassessment before being ordered to by the county, which could save them a lot of money. She offered a brief presentation and answered questions from the council for about 30 minutes.
She said then that a five-year assessment program, which included a complete town-wide reassessment in year one, and subsequent reassessments in 25% of the town in each of the following four years, generally costs $230,000 in the first year and $60,000 for each following year.