Politics

Camden City Council Approves 2026 Property Tax Assessment Ordinance, Affecting 4,200 Households

The ordinance sets new assessment caps that hold annual tax bills steady for qualifying Camden properties through fiscal year 2028.

By Camden Policy Desk · Published 8 July 2026

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Camden City Council Approves 2026 Property Tax Assessment Ordinance, Affecting 4,200 Households — Photo by dbking / flickr (by)

Camden City Council voted 6-3 on July 7 to adopt the Property Tax Assessment Ordinance, which limits annual increases in assessed values for residential parcels below $250,000. The measure applies to owner-occupied homes in the Parkside and Cramer Hill neighborhoods and takes effect with the October 2026 tax cycle.

The ordinance responds to a 14 percent rise in county reassessment values recorded in the Camden County Board of Taxation report released May 2026. Council members cited the need to align Camden procedures with state guidelines under P.L.2025, c.47, which requires municipalities to adopt local caps if average assessments exceed regional medians.

Daily costs for Camden households

Under the new caps, a household with a $180,000 assessed home will see its municipal tax portion remain at $4,320 rather than rising to an estimated $4,860. The change covers water and sewer liens processed through the Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority, which billed 3,800 Camden accounts in the first quarter of 2026. Residents who qualify must file a one-page affidavit with the city tax collector by September 15.

Policy analysts note that the ordinance mirrors assessment limits already in place in Newark and Trenton, where similar caps have held average residential bills flat for two consecutive budget years. Camden's version differs by excluding vacant lots, a provision absent from the Newark code.

Next steps after the vote

The city tax assessor will mail revised notices to 4,200 eligible parcels by August 1. The ordinance also directs the finance department to reserve $1.1 million from the 2027 municipal budget to offset any shortfall in the tax collection fund. Appeals of the new assessments must be filed with the Camden County Board of Taxation by December 1, 2026.

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