Reader says starting in 2018 the BoE and the Village will start having to pay a 40% tax on top of those benefits just because they are so valuable
But let’s raise taxes more to pay to subsidize all of the annual increases in healthcare premiums for our BoE and Municipal employee, right? While they pay a minimum amount out of pocket for what are classified as “platinum” plans under the ACA, the rest of us are paying for both our own health care coverage and then subsidizing public workers – how on earth is this fair? And starting in 2018 the BoE and the Village will start having to pay a 40% tax on top of those benefits just because they are so valuable, worth well over $22,000 according to divorce settlement findings on the value of the health plans. Why are Village taxpayers footing all of the annual increase, which was almost $700K (+12% compared to 2013) just for our municipal employees in 2014? This taxpayer give away has to stop, as this article says, we’re already have the fifth-highest average property tax bill in the nation and pay well over 2% of our property value annually in property taxes… we’re literally being taxed to death to pay for essentially free health care benefits. This has to stop.
Sounds fine to me..
I mean we are all rich ba$t@rd one percenters who have more money than we need and should be forced to “give back the money that we stole” from the workers.
I’m sure a majority of RW residents would agree with me… I mean they vote for this philosophy at each election, be it federal, state or local.
https://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2015/03/audits_show_newark_failed_to_charge_employees_mill.html
The city’s auditor found that none of the employees were paying anything… So you know who was picking up those costs.
Roberta, can you answer us why households in Ridgewood pay 100% of the annual healthcare premium increases for our teachers and municipal workers, who are 100% insulated by their contracts from ANY increase in their out of pocket health care expenses? How is this fair to the rest of us who also have to pay our own bills? If you add the $624,000 annual (12%) increase in employee group health insurance in the Village’s 2014 budget, plus the BoE’s $270,000 annual (3.4%) increase in their 2014-15 employee health benefits, and divide by the 8,367 households in Ridgewood, that is a $107 annual increase per household in 2014 only for health benefits for teachers & municipal employees. We could all use that money to pay our own bills. Some of these employees and under 65 year old retirees are getting salaries and pensions well over $100,000 a year. Why are we payting for their healthcare coverage, too ?
10:10 Why don’t you sign up for one of those Meet the Manager meeting,.Then you can asks her or are you to busy at the Ridgewood Country Club or having your BMW detailed
You voted for Obama .
10:10… she has an open door policy as well as a pretty good track record of transparency and openness…go ask her in person…or you can email her or give her a call…