Tax-Exempt Red Bank

It’s a regular point of contention for borough officials when it’s time to begin preparing Red Bank’s annual budget. The whole process they complain – and are more than willing to use as an excuse – just isn’t fair. The insinuation is clear: taxes go up for everyone else because some don’t pay a dime.

In Red Bank, more than 16 percent of properties within the borough are completely off the tax rolls. That’s nearly $375 million of property value, none of it that can be taxed. At a public meeting during tax season last time around, borough Business Administrator Stanley Sickles said the average percentage of tax exempt properties in neighboring towns is just over five percent. The only one that even exceeds 10 percent is Middletown, and just barely, and that can be attributed to several factors, including its massive school district and, of course, Naval Station Earle.

The assertion that Red Bank gets the short end of the tax stick is suspect without the appropriate data, of course. There are borough-owned properties, those aren’t taxable, and Red Bank schools, again not taxable, that come in under the untaxed umbrella. To find out where the borough really stands when it comes to tax-exempt properties, Patch filed an open public records request for a list of every single one.

Borough officials might have a point.

When it comes to non-profits and tax-exempt properties, Red Bank really does have it all. There’s the , , and all of Red Bank’s churches, including the massive tax-exempt, and ever-expanding behemoth that is h, sitting right in the heart of the borough’s downtown. And, there are all the non-profits that chose to locate in Red Bank because it welcomed them.

The issue isn’t a new one, though Mayor Pat Menna has made finding the solution a New Year’s goal. Menna said he believes as much as a quarter of all property in Red Bank is owned by non profits, though that's just a guess. It’s tough, officials claim, to work within the state’s mandated two-percent budget cap with so many organizations not paying taxes but still occupying property and draining the borough’s resources. With Council members like Mike DuPont on state legislators for not helping resolve the crisis of the taxless, the concern has prompted Menna to request a meeting with state Sen. Jen Beck, R-12, to air his grievances over the system. He said he expects that meeting to come sometime next week.

What he expects to happen, however, isn’t quite clear. The proposition of asking tax-exempt entities to contribute financially – but not through taxes, he emphasized – is a tricky one that could violate the state constitution. There’s also the possibility of requiring at least some organizations to participate in a payment in lieu of taxes, or PILOT, program, an idea that seems more likely considering present participation from groups like the one running . The senior high rise pays an annual fee based on the number of renters occupying its apartments. The tool is often used to entice development by offering builders a break on property taxes, typically over a period of five or 15 years, though Menna said he envisions PILOTS existing in perpetuity for appropriate organizations.

A quick look through the chart of tax-exempt properties we’ve provided below reveals plenty of the usual suspects, as well as some you might not have been aware of. Riverview Medical Center is far and away the largest and most valuable of the untaxed. The hospital and its various Red Bank properties have an assessed value of more than $90 million between them, though Riverview does voluntarily provide Red Bank with some financial assistance. Among religious organizations, St. James, along with its and high school, , lead the way with more than $25 million assessed property value. Tower Hill Church and St. Anthony Padua both have total assessed property values of more than $8 million.

Local theaters also make the list. Both the and are among the tax-exempt, totaling assessed property values of more than $5.5 million and $11.5 million, respectively.

The information below was obtained via OPRA request through the Red Bank’s clerk office and represents, to the best of our knowledge, a complete breakdown of tax-exempt properties in Red Bank, with two exceptions: borough-owned properties, which include borough hall and public parks, among others, and Red Bank School District-owned properties. Repeated ownership does not indicate a duplicate but rather a separate property, for instance, a church and its adjacent parking lot. Be sure to look at the property location.

The chart is organized by property owner, property location, and the most recent assessed property value from 2011.

Union Development, Inc.

13 Spring St.

$436,700

Holy Trinity Lutheren Church

148 E. Front St.

$1,564,700

Riverview Medical Center

52 E. Front St.

$2,055,300

Meridian Hospitals Corp

51-53 Mechanic St.

$1,511,200

Navesink Hook and Ladder Co.

9 Mechanic St.

$597,600

Trinity Church

65 W. Front St.

$3,056,400

MCOSS Nursing

141 Bodman Pl.

$3,272,000

Visiting Nurse Assoc.

192 Riverside Ave.

$1,031,300

Visiting Nurse Assoc.

176 Riverside Ave.

$2,727,700

Red Bank Lodge 233 Elks

40 W. Front St.

$1,910,600

Monmouth Boat Club

Union St.

$1,530,900

Riverview Medical Center

Union St.

$70,699,300

Riverview Hospital

33-35 E. Front St.

$1,947,600

Riverview Hospital

81 E. Front St.

$11,378,400

Riverview Medical Center

103 E. Front St.

$4,189,200

Calvary Baptist Church

263 Mechanic St.

$503,900

Wesleyan Arms

21-23 Wall St.

$9,710,200

Two River Theater Co.

21 Bridge Ave.

$10,181,900

Two River Theater Co.

38 West St.

$420,500

Two River Theater Co.

42 West St.(rear)

$835,100

Two River Theater Co.

42 West. St.

$437,000

NJ DOT Railroad

Bridge and Oakland St.

$664,200

NJ DOT Energy Railroad Station

Monmouth St.

$1,389,100

Phoenix Productions

111 Monmouth St.

$1,455,800

Count Basie Theatre

101-107 Monmouth St.

$1,070,500

Count Basie Theatre

99 Monmouth St.

$4,445,500

ARC Thrift Shop

77-77a Monmouth St.

$738,500

Relief Engine Co.

51 Monmouth St.

$1,864,900

St. James Church

94-100 Broad St.

$25,081,500

St. James Church

15 Drummond Pl.

$457,700

Disabled Vet

85 Washington St.

$288,700

Red Bank Manor

Manor Dr.

$9,200

Navesink Pointe Homeowners Assoc.

Windward Way

$15,600

Navesink Pointe (club house)

Windward Way

$254,400

First Baptist Church

Maple Ave. and Oakland St.

$3,880,900

First Baptist Church

22 Chestnut St.

$478,700

NJ Transit

Oakland St.

$47,100

NJ DOT Railroad

79 Oakland St.

$640,300

NJ DOT Railroad

88 West St.

$952,400

St. Anthony Padua

126-128 Chestnut St.

$573,500

Pilgrim Baptist School

166-168 Shrewsbury Ave.

$496,400

Pilgrim Baptist Church

172 Shrewsbury Ave.

$1,204,300

Pilgrim Baptist Church

Earle St.

$18,900

Pilgrim Baptist Church

98 Leonard St.

$60,000

Union Hose Co.

163 Shrewsbury Ave.

$585,900

MRFC

153 Shrewsbury Ave.

$461,100

Locust Landing

105 Locust Ave.

$5,168,700

Mt. Zion House of Prayer

170-172 Catherine St.

$686,100

Mt. Zion House of Prayer

8 Tilton Ave.

$234,200

St. Paul Baptist

196 River St.

$722,200

St. Paul Baptist

198 River St.

$434,100

River St. Assoc. LP (senior housing)

49 Catherine St.

$11,478,100

Volunteers in Health

211 Shrewsbury Ave.

$405,000

Habcore Inc.

212 S. Pearl St.

$632,900

Community YMCA

Pearl St.

$576,600

Community YMCA

Maple Ave.

$606,500

Congregation Beth Shalom

186 Maple Ave.

$966,500

YMCA of Red Bank

166 Maple Ave.

$8,670,700

Community YMCA

158 Maple Ave.

$344,300

Navesink Lodge No. 9

152 Maple Ave.

$1,036,800

Calvary Baptist Church

23 River St.

$1,236,400

Calvary Baptist Church

21 River St.

$203,800

Calvary Baptist Church

19 River St.

$202,800

Calvary Baptist Church

Cedar St.

$201,600

St. Anthony Padua

Herbert St. and Bridge Ave.

$4,708,100

St. Anthony Padua

Chestnut St. and Bridge Ave.

$3,604,800

NJ DOT Railroad

111 Chestnut St.

$208,000

NJ DOT Utility Building

105 Chestnut St.

$534,400

Red Bank Affordable Housing

1 Catherine St.

$1,080,000

Monmouth Housing Alliance

154 Drs. James Parker Blvd.

$258,000

Habcore Inc.

119 River St.

$358,900

Emmanuel Pentecostal Church

140 Leighton Ave.

$336,700

RW and Red Bank Ridge

Chapin Ave.

$100

Monmouth County Hall of Records

Munson Pl.

$341,300

Salvation Army

172 Newman Springs Rd.

$5,392,000

Salvation Army

180 Newman Springs Rd.

$261,000

Red Bank Housing Authority

Drs. James Parker Blvd.

$1,490,400

Red Bank Housing Authority

Drs. James Parker Blvd.

$2,434,400

Disabled Vet

248 Leighton Ave.

$256,200

Lorraine and Wilmer Hamilton

24 Clinton Pl.

$305,500

Disabled Vet

11 Sunset Ave.

$310,200

BPOE Bates Lodge 220

302-306 Shrewsbury Ave.

$1,444,900

Red Bank Housing Authority

Drs. James Parker Blvd.

$3,748,300

African Methodist Episcopalian Zion

285 Shrewsbury Ave.

$1,513,800

African Methodist Episcopalian Zion

147 Drs. James Parker Blvd.

$87,800

African Methodist Episcopalian Zion

145 Drs. James Parker Blvd.

$86,500

NJ Williams Craftsmens Club

141 Drs. James Parker Blvd.

$514,800

St. Thomas Episcopal Church

E. Sunset Ave.

$1,332,000

First Church Christ Science

211 Broad St.

$2,317,700

US Gov Post Office

171 Broad St.

$5,310,800

Collier Services Inc.

180 Spring St.

$723,900

Edward and Jean Montigros

78 Towerhill Ave.

$470,300

Presbyterian Church

255 Harding Rd.

$8,066,200

Disabled Vet

158 Branch Ave.

$465,400

Disabled Vet

133 Bergen Pl.

$571,800

AME Zion Church

287 Shrewsbury Ave.

$255,900

Lunch Break Inc.

121 Drs. James Parker Blvd.

$758,600

Monmouth Day Care Center

5-19 Drs. James Parker Blvd.

$3,396,600

Disabled Vet

253B S. Pearl St.

$278,600

Calvary Chapel Coast

193 E. Bergen Pl.

$444,000

Disabled Vet

48 Irving Pl.

$484,200

Women’s Club

164 Broad St.

$2,064,200

Catholic Charities

145 Maple Ave.

$790,400

First Methodist Church

247 Broad St.

$6,974,900