PARSIPPANY — Mayor Pulkit Desai is inviting residents to a free Shred-It event at Town Hall, giving residents a chance to safely dispose of sensitive documents.

The event is scheduled for Saturday, October 3, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Town Hall, 1001 Parsippany Boulevard.

Two shredding trucks will be on site, and there will be no weight limit on the amount of paper residents can bring to be shredded.

Officials said the free event gives residents a safe way to dispose of sensitive personal documents.

PARSIPPANY — The Parsippany Police Athletic League (PAL) is launching a new monthly Bingo Night, adding another community event to its lineup beginning Wednesday, September 9.

The addition of Bingo Night is part of the PAL’s continued effort to expand its programming beyond athletics and create more opportunities for residents to gather at its facility on Baldwin Road.

“We continue to look for new ways to make the Parsippany PAL a place for the entire community,” said Nicholas Bronzino, Executive Director of the Parsippany PAL. “Bingo gives us another opportunity to bring people through our doors, create a fun night out right here in Parsippany, and continue expanding what the PAL can offer our community. We’re excited to finally get this started.”

The inaugural Bingo Night will take place Wednesday, September 9, with doors opening at 6:00 p.m. and games beginning at 7:00 p.m.

Additional Bingo Nights are scheduled for:

• Tuesday, October 13
• Wednesday, November 11
• Wednesday, December 9
• Wednesday, January 13, 2027
• Wednesday, February 10, 2027

All events will be held at the Parsippany PAL, 33 Baldwin Road, Parsippany, New Jersey 07054.

The launch represents another step in the PAL’s ongoing effort to maximize use of its facility, introduce new programming, and strengthen its role as a gathering place for the Parsippany community.

“We want people to know that there is always something happening at the PAL,” Bronzino added. “Whether it’s youth sports, educational programming, community partnerships, special events or now Bingo Night, we’re continuing to find ways to bring people together and make this facility something our entire community can enjoy.”

The Parsippany Police Athletic League is committed to serving the youth and families of Parsippany through athletics, educational opportunities, community programming and partnerships.

For additional information about Bingo Night and upcoming PAL programs and events, visit www.parsippanypal.org.

MORRIS COUNTY — ArcMorris will hold its annual Walktoberfest: Step Up for The Arc on Saturday, September 26, bringing together the community for a morning of inclusion, connection, and support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The event will take place at 1 Executive Drive in Morris Plains, with check-in beginning at 9:00 a.m.

Walktoberfest will feature a 5K run, 1-mile walk, kids fun run, and doggy dash, along with games, giveaways, live music, food, and family-friendly activities.

Beyond a day of celebration, Walktoberfest raises awareness and funds to support ArcMorris programs and services throughout Morris County. ArcMorris operates 34 local programs serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families, working to create opportunities for greater independence, inclusion, connection, and quality of life.

Among those taking part is Billy Byrne, a self-advocate and longtime friend of ArcMorris who has spent years championing greater opportunities and inclusion for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their caregivers. Byrne is fundraising for this year’s Walktoberfest, rallying support for a mission he says has been an important part of his life.

“Walktoberfest is a celebration of what makes our community so special—people of all abilities coming together with a shared purpose,” said Naira Aslanyan, interim CEO of ArcMorris. “Every person who walks, runs, fundraises, sponsors, or simply shows up helps strengthen our mission and create more opportunities for the people we support.”

Community members can register, create a fundraising team, or support a participant to help ArcMorris reach its fundraising goal. Businesses and organizations can also get involved through sponsorship opportunities, with recognition across ArcMorris’ website, event materials, social media, and email communications.

Registration and event details are available at ArcMorris.org/events. The site also lists ArcMorris’ Autumn Classic Golf Outing, set for Monday, October 19.

ArcMorris has provided services and support to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families throughout Morris County for more than 72 years.

PARSIPPANY — Mayor Pulkit Desai and the Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills are inviting all Parsippany seniors to an End of Summer Senior 8 Ball Pool Tournament.

The tournament will take place Wednesday, September 9, beginning at 11:00 a.m. at the Parsippany Senior Community Center, located at 1130 Knoll Road in Lake Hiawatha (Boonton is used for GPS purposes).

Sign-up is required, and space is limited. There is a dual sign-up process: residents must register separately to participate in the tournament and to attend as a spectator with refreshments.

Those interested can sign up by calling (973) 263-7351 or (973) 263-7352.

PARSIPPANY — The Friends of Parsippany Library will hold their Fall Book and Media Bag Sale beginning at noon Friday, September 11, through Monday, September 28, at the Main Branch of Parsippany Library, located at 449 Halsey Road.

The bag sale will be open during all library hours. Bags will be provided, and customers can fill an extra-large cloth Friends of the Library bag for $12.00 or a large paper bag for $6.00. Residents can also reuse a previously purchased Friends bag and refill it for $10.00.

The sale will include adult and children’s books, as well as CDs, DVDs and audio books. All proceeds will be donated to the Parsippany Library System and used at all three locations.

Donations of books and media in good condition are always welcome and can be dropped off at the Main Library whenever it is open.

For more information, visit the Friends’ website at parsippanyfriends.com or email [email protected].

MORRIS COUNTY — In recognition of national “Make a Will” month, Morris County Surrogate Heather Darling continues to deliver in-person seminars across the county. “It is my focus to raise awareness about estate planning and to encourage Morris County residents to create a will or update the one they have,” said Surrogate Darling.

Darling recently met with the Mine Hill “Good Years Club” senior group, where she discussed the probate process and answered questions from attendees. Darling reinforced that estate planning is vital because it ensures a person’s property goes to the people they choose and, most importantly, names guardians for minor children. “Without a plan, state laws may control your assets,” Darling said.

Darling focuses her talks on the Morris County Surrogate’s office and its services, including new service methods, to help residents understand the importance of creating a will and keeping their planning in order. Attendees are provided with both “A Citizens Guide to Wills, Trusts and Estates” and a “Personal Record” created by the Morris County Surrogate’s Court for individuals to document important personal information in the event of an emergency. The Personal Record serves as a road map for family members or an executor when needed. Both booklets are available to download on the Surrogate’s website.

Darling will continue to provide seminars on estate planning and other topics. For more information, visit www.morrissurrogate.com.

PARSIPPANY — The Lake Parsippany Property Owners Association Ladies Club will host a Comedy Night on Friday, September 25, at the LPPOA Clubhouse, featuring Kursh Comedy.

The lineup includes comedians Mike Sicoli, John Kurschner and Sue Golden. Doors open at 7:30 p.m., with the show starting at 8:00 p.m. Attendees are asked to bring their own snacks and beverages. Entry is $30.00 per person.

Organizers described the event as a night of laughs and good company for residents looking for a fun evening out with friends and neighbors.

Those interested can register in advance at lake-parsippany.org.

Reprinted from Parsippany Focus magazine, September 2026. Click here to read magazine.

Property taxes are back in the spotlight across New Jersey as officials revise programs like Stay NJ and residents scramble to figure out what relief they still qualify for. That churn has pushed many homeowners toward a separate question: can you still appeal your property tax assessment? In Parsippany, the short answer is yes. If your home appears to be overassessed, you may still be able to file a property tax appeal.

But an appeal is a different animal from state relief programs like Stay NJ, ANCHOR, and Senior Freeze. Those programs may reduce what you pay or reimburse part of your taxes, while an appeal challenges the assessed value placed on your property. It’s easy to confuse a higher tax bill with a bad assessment, especially when the relief rules keep shifting. In New Jersey, these are related issues, but they’re not the same. Here’s what that means for you.

Can Parsippany Homeowners Still Appeal Their Tax Assessment?

Yes, But Only If the Assessment Appears Too High

A property tax appeal is generally about whether the municipality assigned an assessed value that sits too high compared with your property’s true market value under New Jersey rules. You don’t appeal just because your taxes feel high overall. A successful appeal usually rests on hard evidence that the property is overassessed. The process looks strictly at the value assigned to your home, not how much money the town needs to run its schools or fix its roads.

Why More Homeowners Are Asking This Question Now

Property taxes remain a leading affordability issue statewide, and that’s prompting residents to read their bills more closely. The average New Jersey property tax bill reached $10,095 in 2024, crossing the five-figure mark for the first time. On top of that, New Jersey has the nation’s highest effective property tax rate at 1.89%. That burden adds up fast: property owners in New Jersey paid $36.1 billion in property taxes in 2025 alone.

Recent changes to the state budget have also brought renewed attention to tax relief and tax fairness. State lawmakers recently reshaped Stay NJ, tightening income caps and adjusting benefit tiers for older residents. With those relief rules in flux heading into 2026, plenty of homeowners are wondering whether they should also challenge their underlying assessments to keep monthly costs manageable.

What’s the Difference Between Your Tax Bill, Tax Rate, Assessed Value, and Tax Relief Benefit?

Your Tax Bill Is Not the Same as Your Assessment

A rising bill can happen because the local tax rate changed, not because your property’s assessment moved at all. When a town needs more money for schools or services, it raises the tax rate, which pushes up your final bill. So you may feel overtaxed and still not have a strong appeal, unless the assessed value itself is out of step with market conditions.

State Relief Programs Lower Costs, But They Don’t Decide Value

Programs like Stay NJ are state relief initiatives for eligible seniors and are subject to state eligibility rules and legislative changes. ANCHOR provides state property tax relief for eligible homeowners and renters based on income limits. The Senior Freeze program reimburses certain eligible seniors or disabled residents for qualifying tax increases above a designated base year. None of these programs decides whether your house was assessed correctly by the local tax assessor.

The Easiest Way to Think About It

Say your home is assessed at $650,000 but would likely have sold for only $575,000 on the relevant valuation date. That gap is worth looking into. But if your home is fairly assessed at market value and your bill rose only because the local tax rate increased, an appeal won’t fix the problem. In that scenario, state relief programs matter more than an appeal ever could.

When Does a Parsippany Tax Appeal Make Sense?

Common Signs a Property May Be Overassessed

Because appealing a property assessment is a structured legal proceeding, you must establish a legitimate basis to contest the township’s valuation. Evaluating the following situations can help determine if you have grounds for a challenge:

• Your assessed value looks much higher than recent sales of similar nearby homes.
• The property record has mistakes about square footage, lot size, condition, or features.
• The home has significant condition problems that the assessment never accounts for.
• The municipality leaned on poor comparisons to determine your home’s value.
• A recent reassessment seems completely out of line with current market conditions.
• Your assessment rose sharply while comparable properties in your neighborhood held steady.

What Usually Doesn’t Make a Strong Appeal by Itself

General frustration with high New Jersey taxes isn’t enough to win an appeal. Changes to the Stay NJ budget or a neighbor’s lower tax bill don’t prove your home is overassessed either, especially if you don’t know their assessment history, lot size, or whether they previously won an appeal. And a mortgage payment that jumped because of escrow changes is a personal financial issue, not a legal argument against your home’s assessed value.

What “Overassessed” Really Means in Practice

The core issue isn’t whether your property taxes feel unfair in the abstract. It’s whether the assessed value exceeds what the property should be worth for tax purposes. To prove that, evidence matters far more than opinion. You have to show that the assessor’s estimate of your property’s value is flawed, using objective market data.

What Records Should You Gather Before Deciding Whether to Appeal?

The Most Useful Documents

To evaluate your assessment, start with your current assessment notice or tax assessment card and your most recent property tax bill. It also helps to collect recent, relevant closing statements or appraisals. Photos showing severe deferred maintenance or structural condition issues can support your claim. And pull surveys, floor plans, or permits to correct factual errors about square footage or missing features.

What Makes a Comparable Sale Useful

Comparable sales, or “comps,” are the foundation of most residential tax appeals. A useful comp is a home in a similar neighborhood or school area that matches your lot size, age, style, and condition. The sale date has to fall reasonably close to the municipality’s valuation period. Most important, it must be a true arm’s-length sale, meaning it wasn’t a distressed transaction, a foreclosure, or a sale between family members, unless that’s specifically relevant to the market.

Why Deadlines Matter More Than People Realize

In New Jersey, tax appeal deadlines are typically handled at the county level through the county board of taxation, and the timing is strict. For Parsippany homeowners, that usually means paying close attention to Morris County filing deadlines. Miss the annual cut-off, and you lose your right to appeal for that entire tax year. Always verify the current deadline with the Morris County Board of Taxation or the municipality, because these procedural rules leave no wiggle room.

How Are Tax Appeals Different From Stay NJ, ANCHOR, and Senior Freeze?

Appeals Challenge Value

A tax appeal asks one very specific question: is this property’s assessed value too high? If the county board of taxation or the tax court agrees with you, a successful appeal can reduce the taxable assessment on your property. Lowering the assessment ultimately lowers your tax burden, assuming the tax rate stays the same.

Relief Programs Provide State Benefits

Relief programs run on a completely different track. They may reduce your out-of-pocket cost through a credit applied to your bill, a direct reimbursement check, or a rebate. These programs hinge on your age, income, and residency status. They don’t rewrite your municipal assessment or change the official value of your real estate.

You May Need to Look at Both

Some homeowners qualify for state relief and also want to review whether the assessment itself is accurate. Those are separate decisions requiring separate analysis and, often, separate forms and deadlines. New Jersey’s combined PAS-1 application may centralize relief applications for seniors, but filling out a state relief form doesn’t replace filing a formal tax appeal with Morris County.

Where Can You Get Practical Help Reviewing an Assessment?

Use Reliable Sources Before You Decide

Start your research with municipal assessment information, public property records, and county filing instructions. The Morris County Board of Taxation website lays out how the process works. If the numbers still look off after you’ve reviewed comparable sales, professional guidance can help you navigate evidence gathering and formal hearing procedures.

Seeking Experienced Guidance

Homeowners who want more background on New Jersey assessment appeals can also review resources from Jersey Property Tax, a property tax appeal resource. The site states that it has handled matters in all 21 counties for both residential and commercial property owners.

So, Can Parsippany Homeowners Still Appeal Their Tax Assessment?

Yes. You may still be able to file an appeal if your property is overassessed. An appeal focuses strictly on your home’s assessed value, weighed against real market data. That’s a completely separate track from applying for state relief programs like Stay NJ, ANCHOR, and Senior Freeze, which provide financial benefits based on income and age without touching your property’s value.

If you think your assessment is too high, gather your records early, research comparable sales, and confirm the Morris County deadline before deciding what to do. Knowing the difference between an assessment appeal and a state relief program can save you time, clear up the confusion, and point you toward the most effective move for your finances.

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