Mullica Township is once more set to sell township-owned property at cut-rate prices. While the previous committee attempted to stop instances of selling off township land indiscriminately and at fire-sale prices, the new administration has again put Mullica up for sale, cheap.
The current committee members have no idea as to the real value of the land that they are selling, and they don't seem to want to trouble themselves too much to find out. When asked at the last township meeting about a minimum price of $80,000 for 150 acres - which was mistakenly described to the public as 76 acres - they didn't have a clue and voted to offer it at that price anyway. The potential consequence of their vote, besides selling our land dirt cheap, is that the land sale could result in up to four new building lots.
The sale price of another township property was reduced from $7,000 to $4,800 at the same meeting. A former mayor, who is a local Realtor, has already publicly expressed her intention to resubmit her bid to purchase township property at a lower price than it was offered to her last year.
The word is out. Mullica is again for sale. Why is it that we pay property taxes at the highest rate, while the township is selling township property at the rock-bottom rate?
Public land is owned by all the taxpayers of Mullica, and our elected officials are its caretakers. Since many of us worry about being able to pay our own property tax bill, we certainly don't want them giving land away. Any township property for sale should first be independently assessed to determine its true market value before a minimum sale price is set. Any buildable lots should be prominently advertised so that Mullica's taxpayers can get the most from the sale. We need someone minding the store for us.
BERNARD GRAEBENER
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Mullica selling property at "rock bottom" prices
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29 comments:
This appeared in Thursday's Press.
I'm really disappointed in Mr Brown !!!!! I would never vote for him again ! He is acting like Janet Forman & Kat Chasey...Janet & kat was ruining the town & now Mr Brown is making it worst!! Shame on you Mr Brown
$80,000 for 150 acres is about $500 an acre. Forman and Chasey gave the ex Chief 25 acres for $12,500 which is $500 an acre. I guess $500 an acre is the going price when friends or supporters are involved in the deal. There was no need to get an appraisal in their minds.
I guess our Ex-Mayor/Realtor will will scoop up OUR land at bargain basement prices now. Nice reward for a lying,whispering campaign for her puppets. She knows the value of land. She has a lot on Leipzeg 10+ to 20 acres on the market for $199,900.
We and our children are being robbed again because people believed lies and deliberate false promises. We're all suffering financially while the Republican Committee gives away our assets which can never be replaced. This is just the beginning.
Brown hired the President of the County Republican Club to be our Solicitor the first day in office. He belongs to the same high priced land use law firm that Forman used for all her problems and they also represented Waszen.
It was a set up from day one that the landscape of Mullica would be raped and pillaged.
Brown opened the door and welcomed in the County interests we all fought so hard against during the Rail Transfer garbage debacle.
The present Committee people are all traitors to the citizens of Mullica.
I have 5 acres in this town. 3/4 of it is forest with one house allowed. On my tax bill just the land is assessed for $32,500. That's $6,500 per acre. That is NOT the market value which is always more.
By these standards, the assessed value of 150 acres at $6,500 each would be $975,000. The market value would be over a million dollars.
These suckers want to sell the 150 acres for $80,000???? How dumb or crooked can they be?????
If this goes down,everybody in this town should put in an appeal to have their land tax lowered based on this upcoming sale. We are all being ripped off!!!!
What happened to all the promises preserving open space and keeping our forests? Are these the "fat" Brown wants cut out while he raises our taxes and gives us less then we had before?
That is a ridiculous price to put on all that land!
Does anyone know who the"buddy"is who wants this property? This should be investigated by outside sources. I'm disgusted by the whole bunch of them.
150 acres for $80,000. We're being robbed by these idiots.That price is insane.
Quite a bargain! I'd go for it but I have to save my spare $80,000 in order to fill my cars with gas this year.
Brown & Riffle in office no more then 4 1/2 months & already screwing the taxes payers, Way to go the 2 holy men!!!! Church goings my ass
Maybe Bernard's letter to the Press will wake people up. I don't think the committee has made a wise choice in the pricing of this land.
It appears that its individual buyers who are setting the prices and not the seller. If it was your property and suddenly someone came along and offered you a lowball price for it, would you just take it, even if you wanted to sell, or would you first determine what its fair market value is as a basis for negotiations? If it was a council member's own personal property, you know damn well that he would not be selling it this way. Is it too much to ask that the same level of care be taken when selling public land? This really is negligence.
RE: 10:21 pm post- "Mr Brown...is acting like Janet Forman & Kat Chasey." Maybe they're advising him? So much for their pledge to keep the township rural.
4:03 pm
MAYBE they are advising him? HE and RIFFLE are their mouthpieces!!!!!!!
Does anyone remember the controversy back in April 2009 when Chasey,Forman and Kennedy wanted to sell 3 lots,all under 5 acres,in the forest zone. The lots where abandoned for more then 10 years and lost their non-conforming use according to Twp. zoning laws. They should never have been allowed to be sold. 25 acres is needed to build in that area
Those 3 lots(UNDER 5 ACRES)went out to bid cheaply at $26,200,$26,400 &$26,400 ASCESSED VALUE while Forman personally had a 10 acre lot on Moss Mill listed as $129,000.
If this current land parcel can be subdivided into 4 building lots of 37 1/2 acres each, that's a bid price of only $20,000 for each subdivision!!
Where can you get 37 1/2 acres of land for $20,000????? $26,400 was too cheap for under 5 acres 2 years ago.
WE ARE BEING ROBBED BY BROWN. ARE ALL YOU PEOPLE TOO STUPID TO SEE THAT BIG MONEY IS GOING TO MADE OFF OUR BACKS.
Not only will we lose $800,000 or more cash,we will be responsible for over $100,000 every year for education if those 4 new houses come with 2 or more kids.
re 6:46 pm
I might be able to pick up 37 1/2 acres for $20,000 in the back woods of Georgia.
You won't find that anywhere in New Jersey except here in Mullica where we have the "Piney's who care" just giving away our land.
Maybe they'll all have big party at Taste Buds to congratulate the lucky new well endowed owner when the papers are all signed.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
I wish that I had some spare cash just lying around like others seem to have to get some of this cheap Mullica land. I'd hold onto it until the economy gets better and then I'd sell it off, doubling or tripling my investment. With interest rates so low today, its a good deal.
re 8:42am
That's what the Twp.should do. This is the worst time to sell land.
Brown is selling us out big time.
His allegiance is to his inner circle repub. buddies and the county big wigs.
I'm afraid that during his term all of our assets will be all sold off and the county will use Mullica as a place to send all of the undesirable crap that no other town wants.
Keep your eyes on the Devonshire Inn. Brown will stab us all with back room deals.
They need more money for new police cars
"4:03 pm
MAYBE they are advising him? HE and RIFFLE are their mouthpieces!!!!!!!
4:59 PM"
Late last year at committee meetings, Chasey and Forman were pushing the committee to commit to selling off township forest land. It looks like they got their way with Brown and his crew in control now.
Do you have to live in Mullica to get this great deal?? I would be interested in that 150 acres!!!When is the sale?????
Look for Janet Forman's letter in today's Press. She fails to mention that while her party was in power they were selling township land @ $500 an acre and three grossly undersized lots @25,000, which they then allowed houses to be built on them, raising property taxes for everyone. What is happening now is not new. It has been a common practice for previous Republican committees to sell public land to insiders at below market prices. You'll never see these people bidding against one another. They take turns. Is that how we want our government run? The voters seem to not care.
Re 10:26 pm
IF they decide to sell the land legally,it would be announced in a tiny little ad in the Press.
Go ahead and bid on it. Maybe you will cut Mayor Brown's cronies right out of the picture and make yourself a fortune in the future. Better you than them.
I will bid on it! I.ll be looking for the ad
Re 7:30 am
I saw the letter Forman wrote. She's a joke!
Graebener fought against her for years,even before he was on the Committee,against all her land deal schemes.
If it wasn't for him and the concerned citizens,we would have a nasty,smelly garbage rail transfer station destroying our town. He fought against all the cheap bad land deals that Forman,Chasey and Kennedy allowed.
He knows the value of land and respects our forests.
The one year that the Dems. had control, there was no funny business going on. They saved us plenty of money by putting out bids.The ambulance service they got saved us $250,000 alone by bidding.
Forman hates Graebener because he was a block to all her nefarious plans and exposed her misdeeds.
It comes down to the question of does one reshape public policy based on the desires of certain individuals. Someone wants to buy a huge chunk of our public-owned forest for a cheap price and suddenly keeping the township rural is no longer a major priority anymore. Someone wants to sell his land at a higher price than its worth so we extend the village for him to make his property more valuable, thereby opening the door for more housing and the need for more municipal services.
Mullica has a land use ordinance that took years of careful deliberation and planning before it was adopted. It has the overwhelming support of the community. Now it is being ignored, based on the whims of a few elected officials.
Forman should have identified herself as the ex-mayor who is intent on getting a lower price on township property that she wants to buy since she questions Graebner's "ulterior" motivation for submitting his letter.
re 11:24 am
Janet Forman has personal and ulterior motives for everything she does and says. Facts are facts. She cannot wipe out the past or the truth no matter what she says or does, She will spend the rest of her life being the "Queen of Denial".
She's a prime example of how people can be deceived by a fake "nice" outward performance.
Leave Janet Forman alone..If it was not for her & Chasey,, we would not have high taxes!!!!
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