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Dec. 4-10
Tax Sale
In the Dec. 6 edition of the Herald, 2 1/2 pages with four columns per page listed all the property liens coming up for tax sale on Wednesday, Dec. 20, in Middle Township.
New Jersey law requires municipalities with delinquent property taxes to hold at least one tax sale per year. The tax sale is a public auction in which title to the delinquent property itself is not sold. What is sold is a lien on the property known as a tax sale certificate.
To recover the delinquent tax dollars, municipalities can then sell the tax lien certificate to private investors, who take care of the tax bill in exchange for the right to collect that money, plus interest, from the property owners when they eventually pay back their balance.
Tax sale certificates can earn interest of up to 18%. The precise percentage is settled as part of the auction bid process.
The tax sale certificate can be redeemed by the property owner. After two years if the lien remains delinquent a lien holder can go to Superior Court to foreclose on the property. Post tax sale payment plans can be arranged with the provision that all current taxes must be paid on time.
That is a short version of what is taking place. The New Jersey League of Municipalities has a 25-slide presentation with more detail.
One look at the classified listing for the Dec. 20 tax sale in Middle Township shows the extent of delinquent taxes with over 1,000 properties listed. The amounts range from a few hundred dollars to several thousand.
Tax lien investing is a way some individuals and firms seek exposure to real estate without actually having to own property.
Perceptions vs Reality
Gallup reporting shows that parents are often surprised when standardized test scores show students not performing at grade level even when those students have been receiving better than average grades on report cards. One study done in Texas showed 88% of the 200,000-plus students tested passing Algebra I, with only 56% actually passing the standardized test in the same area.
Why the disparity? The two forms of evaluation measure different things. In-class grades often pull together performance on a range of tests, activities and behaviors. Standard testing is designed to measure specific mastery of a set of skills and proficiencies.
Saying that does not change the fact that parents can be jolted to find their student is not at the proficiency level expected despite a history of acceptable or better grades. Knowing levels of achievement and areas where help is needed can be important to parents. The gaps can be particularly alarming for children of color, according to a Gallup-Learning Hero study.
What the Gallup information makes clear is the importance of giving parents a true picture of student performance. Polling information shows that parents who believe their child is below grade level in a specific area are more likely to prioritize skill development in that area.
The advice? Parents should ask more questions, according to the Gallup blog.
Great Lakes Offshore Wind
A little over a decade ago, offshore wind projects were the rage in the Great Lakes region. Many experts then felt the Great Lakes region was the area where a promising offshore wind industry would take hold and flourish. The optimism followed on the heels of the Great Recession. In 2012 the Great Lakes Offshore Wind Consortium was formed.
Wind off the lakes is stronger and more consistent than what onshore wind farms experience. A partnership for Lake Erie Energy Development promised 1,000 megawatts of energy from farms in the waters of Lake Erie by 2020.
Yet, Inside Climate News reports that a decade after this burgeoning interest in Great Lakes wind farms, there are no commercial wind turbines in any of the five Great Lakes. Entities formed to develop the farms have either walked away or are still consumed with struggles to overcome resistance from environmental groups, especially birders, anti-wind organizations and fossil-fuel industry interests.
Lake Erie Energy Development leadership says now that time may have caused their permits to become outdated. Even though the consortium holds all the required permits, they may have to start over.
The lesson learned is that offshore wind is a renewable source of power that can only work with public support. The top-down approach did not work in the Great Lakes and is not showing that it can work in New Jersey a decade later.
Happenings
The driver of a car that killed two individuals during an unauthorized car rally in Wildwood in 2022 has pleaded guilty in a plea deal. Prosecutors will ask the judge for a sentence of 25 years in jail.
Stone Harbor Council heard a report on the status of a property purchased by the borough to meet affordable housing obligations. The property will need to be elevated.
Atlantic City Electric settled a strike that began Nov. 5, reaching an agreement with about 400 workers of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 210 union.
In Cape May City the death of a man found outside near Congress Hall in September has been ruled an accident.
The assistant director of the Cape May County Zoo has died, leaving zoo staff mourning the loss.
A squirrel managed to cause an electrical outage in Wildwood. Atlantic City Electric said that it continues to make investments to strengthen the local infrastructure. Perhaps even new technology cannot account for the actions of an inquisitive squirrel.
Stone Harbor got the happy news that the borough will likely regain its level 5 Community Rating System score, which will again provide property owners with a 25% discount on flood insurance premiums.
The Greater Wildwood Elks Lodge 1896 hosted a Christmas luncheon for veterans with songs by the Wildwood High School choir and even a visit from Santa.
Stone Harbor has awarded a contract for human resources consulting by making a direct award rather than seeking bids.
In the remaining weeks of 2023, Cape May City is seeking to resolve the two remaining payments made to employees from affordable housing trust fund monies in 2019.
An Ocean City man has been charged with the murder of his mother, a crime which he himself reported to law enforcement, police said.
A front yard shed that had neighbors protesting its presence to the Wildwood Crest Board of Commissioners is being removed.
A new Habitat for Humanity home cannot find a qualified family. The Marmora home still sits empty.
A storm-damaged home in North Dennis will soon be demolished by its owner. The structure gained social media fame due to an exposed attic chair perched precariously where a roof no longer exists. The chair was just recently blown off the roof due to high winds Monday, Dec. 11.
Spout Off of the Week
Cape May County – I enjoy walking my dog at Cox Hall Creek in Villas. What a transformation from the Ponderlodge golf course that stood here many years ago to an expansive wildlife refuge today. I recommend you visit this beautiful place if you have never been here. There are several miles of trails and a pond. Walking, biking, fishing. It is open every day and there is no charge. (… My only disappointment is that, years ago, plans to sell part of the shuttered 316-acre golf course to Stockton fell through. I think a Stockton satellite campus in Cape May County would have been a plus.)
Read more spouts at spoutoff.capemaycountyherald.com.
