Galloway Township's property tax bills are the among lowest in the state, and the township was toward the middle of the road when it came to increases in 2012.

The township's tax bill is 490 out of 566 municipalities, according to a Star-Ledger analysis.

Galloway's 1.20 percent tax hike was was tied with 20 other municipalities at No. 350 out of 566 total tax bil hikes.

Of the 22 municipalities in Atlantic County, only eight have lower tax rates than Galloway and 12 had lower tax increases. In townships of similar size, Egg Harbor Township had a higher tax rate and a lower tax increase, while Hamilton Township's tax rate and increase were both lower than Galloway's. Atlantic City's were both higher than Galloway.

Galloway Township Manager Arch Liston added that the township's comparison to the rest of the county provides the best sense of the situation.

"There are a lot of variables not being considered (in The Star Ledger report)," Liston said Monday afternoon, Jan. 14. "There are some towns that don't have police departments. The towns with the lowest rates don't have police departments. I compare us to local towns with the same structure, and our tax rate is very good."

The tax rate in 2011 was $4,541. In 2000, the tax rate in the township was $2,786.

There were more than 2,000 tax appeals in Galloway Township last year. Council recently approved a $950,000 hybrid tax reassessment for the 2014 tax year.

The township's last revaluation was in 2009, and cost $1.2 million.

Standard and Poor's also recently affirmed the township's AA/Stable rating.

The Star-Ledger report noted that property taxes statewide rose 2.4 percent in 2011, the first year Christie’s 2 percent cap was in effect.

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