MIDDLE TOWNSHIP – At its meeting July 21, the Township Committee did something it has not needed to do for 15 years: appoint a tax assessor.
The governing body promoted Deputy Tax Assessor Elizabeth “Liz” Simpkins to the top job effective Aug. 1. Simpkins takes over for Lee Ann Russ, who has held the full-time position since 2010.
Mayor Chris Leusner expressed total confidence in Simpkins as she assumes an important role in a township that continues to expand.
“We are one of the few towns in the state that continues to grow,” Leusner said, “making the job of tax assessor all the more important for the smooth running of local government.”
In New Jersey, the municipal tax assessor is responsible for determining the assessed value of all real property within the town. It is a role that is crucial for maintaining an equitable system of taxation. Among the post’s many duties is the fair application of a variety of tax exemption and tax deduction statutes and the defense of assessments being appealed.
The New Jersey assessor’s handbook makes clear that final accountability for all assessment responsibilities in a municipality rests with the assessor.
Russ is leaving the township 39 years after she took her first job in February 1986 as a part-time clerk-typist under a work study program with Middle Township High School.
She earned her tax assessor certification in 1990, became deputy tax assessor in 1997 and was appointed tax assessor in 2010. She has also served as coordinator of computer services since 2001, and as part-time tax assessor for Dennis Township for several years.
Simpkins started her career with Middle Township in 2002, became a tax assessor in 2007 and was appointed deputy tax assessor in 2012. She has been the township’s Employee of the Month more than once. She was also selected for the 2022 Darius Graham Employee of the Year award.
At one ceremony for an Employee of the Month award, Simpkins jokingly described herself as the
office’s “barista, snack provider, party planner, landscaper and water cooler coordinator.”
Contact the reporter, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.
