The Township of River Vale is offering programs to help reduce property taxes.

The first, and most popular, is the Homestead Rebate. This program is run through the state and is available to both home owners and renters who occupied their principal residence in New Jersey on Oct. 1, paid property taxes on that dwelling, either directly or through rent, and whose gross income for the year does not exceed certain limits. For information on the Homestead Rebate, visit http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation .

Another program which is available through the state is the Senior Freeze, a property tax reimbursement program. This program reimburses eligible citizens and disabled persons for property tax increases. The amount of the reimbursement is the difference between the amount of property taxes that were due and paid in the “base year” (the first year all the eligibility requirements were met) and the amount due and paid in the current year for which they are claiming the reimbursement, provided the amount paid in the current year was greater.  The application form as well as eligibility requirements are available in Town Hall.

 finally, there are the Senior Citizen/Disabled Person Deductions and the Veteran Deductions, which provide eligible residents with a property tax deduction of $250. Both of these applications should be filed in the River Vale Town Hall. The Senior Citizen/Disabled Person Deduction is available to residents of River Vale who are 65 years or older, and whose income does not exceed $10,000, not including Social Security. The Veterans Deduction is available to any resident who served in a time of war. Visit Town Hall for more information as well as to pick up the applications.

For more information contact Lauren Roehrer, tax collector, any time between 9am and 4:30pm at (201) 664-2346, ext 1000, or lroehrer@rivervalenj.org .