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“A bad situation” – Ridgewood Village Council agrees upon a 4.33% tax hike – Pet projects move forward

Budget Meeting Copy

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, not a bit of good news came out of Wednesday’s Village Council Budget Meeting, the last of several public meetings during which Council members discussed components of the proposed 2023 municipal budget.

Highlights of Wednesday’s distressing discussion:

  • Council members reluctantly agreed to a proposed 4.33% municipal tax increase (excludes possible increases in school and county taxes)..
  • With the exception of hiring three (3) additional police officers, a police department general clerk, and authorizing supervisory promotions within the police department necessary due to retirements, all hiring resulting in increased headcount, and all promotions are frozen for the remainder of the year as per Village CFO Robert Rooney. [Note: In anticipation of retirements that may take place later this year and/or early next year, Ridgewood Police Chief Jacqueline Luthcke had initially requested a total of seven (7) new police officers br hired in 2023.]
  • All employees excluding fire, police and recreation department (even department Directors, the Village Manager, and Village Council members) will be furloughed without pay on five (5) Fridays this coming summer. Village Hall will be closed for business on the selected Fridays. Sanitation workers may have to be furloughed on Wednesdays, which may impact the bulk pickup schedule. Graydon Pool and the summer day camp will remain open; i.e., those functions will not close on the five (5) “furlough Fridays.”
  • A 3% surcharge will be added to all transactions in connection with fees paid to the Village using credit cards.
  • $500k in additional funding is being allocated to facilitate the installation of a larger, artificial turf athletic field on the former Schedler property (pending approval by State of NJ officials, or successful rescinding of the site’s historic status).
  • $60k in funding is being allocated to the purchase of new trash cans for the Village’s Central Business District (a pet project of Councilwoman Siobhan Winograd).
  • Despite the “bad situation,” Council members agreed to continue their recruitment of a new Village Manager. Expected salary is said to be $225k annually plus benefits, of course. Heather Mailander, our Village Clerk, is currently paid a $60k annual stipend to perform the additional duties of Village Manager. Thus, hiring a new Village Manager will add $165k in recurring expenses (plus benefits) to the bottom line.

That’s all folks!

And, as always, The Ridgewood Blog very much looks forward to hearing from all of you regarding this particular “bad situation.”

 

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41 thoughts on ““A bad situation” – Ridgewood Village Council agrees upon a 4.33% tax hike – Pet projects move forward

  1. Disgraceful!

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  2. The idiots are going to spend $60,000 on trash cans, but the trash can’t be picked up because sanitation will be on a furlough.

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    1. And there is now going to be a recession coming, not a soft landing.
      What idiots would spend $60k on trash cans to beautify the CBD towns look?

  3. So let me understand this correctly. If I use community pass to register for anything, I’m now going to be charged an additional 3%?

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    1. I thought there already was a “convenience” fee?

  4. Sorry Pam. Despite what you say, the trash cans are a pet project of Siobhan’s. Just ask the squirrels; they’ll confirm it.

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  5. This budget isn’t practical, but neither was the last council’s few budgets. Get ready for huge police overtime in the neighborhood of $850k for the next couple of years. Bad for morale and good if you want a boat.

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  6. They talk about capital outlays only costing 5% of the total amount. The remaining 95% gets speard among future budgets and there is a snowball effect.

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  7. What’s the fun of being on the Council if you can’t spend other peoples’ money to advance your own agenda?

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  8. This happens if you don’t care about local politics and a crew like this gets voted in office to ru(i)n this town.

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  9. Clearly, the most arrogant, bull headed, ineffective, and self serving Village Council in decades. The only thing that could make it worse is if we learned that three of them up there are having regular threesomes together.

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  10. Just watched this. Lorraine is the only sane person there. We are in deep shit with this group.

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  11. NO MORE PLASTIC FAKE CARCINOGENIC GRASS.

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  12. Would any of the 2500+ who voted for these knuckleheads admit it today?

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  13. OK.
    Do you people understand now?

    We are:
    RICH and STUPID

    and like all rich, stupid people, we will continue to be fleeced.

    Remember this at the next election and actually vote in people who are aligned with your best interests.

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  14. if we need money in the town raise the rent at the give away at the gate house. Bring the rent over there up to 2023 value!!! Utilize the “partnership” BS that was told to the community and make some money off this deal!!!! Have the tenant pay the taxes and for some of the upkeep of the 11 acres and parking lot that are used by the business. Just an idea since we seem so desperate to make money. open your eyes council and make some money off your assets…the gate house!

  15. I Heard they are only hiring ONE police officer. Not three

  16. I think only one new police officer and clerk.

    Also the sanitation dept will be furloughed on the same summer Fridays as other employees, possibly eliminating Wednesday bulk and recycling pickup during those weeks.

  17. CLARIFICATION: Two of the three new police officers promised for 2023 have already been hired and are now enrolled in the Bergen County Police Academy.

  18. It is now being reported that sanitation crews will also be furloughed on Fridays. Garbage pickup schedules will be modified to permit this.

  19. So you’re telling me all the employees will be furloughed five days. But not police and fire and yet those two departments will have overtime close to $1 million. And yet they are still going to spend $600,000 between fake grass field and garbage cans. How is this fair to the rest of the employees that are being furloughed. Now the employees will be divided they cost morale even more to the curb.

  20. I’m confused they pick up my yard waste on the Friday, are they going to move that day to another day for pick up?

  21. Village morale is done, we told you this was coming.

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  22. Never thought anyone could be slimier than Aronsohn. And here you have it. Another horrible, lying Paul

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    1. You don’t know the half of it.

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    2. They are by far worse then the three Amigos, and it’s only begun

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  23. So why can’t the CBD landlords and business pay for new garbage cans if they want them so much? I took a stroll through CBD and the garbage cans look just fine to me. This is nutz.

  24. Back in January 2023, the current VC was sworn in and there were many touching sentiments expressed. The new VC members thanked their families for the loving support they were given and it made me think about the importance of each of the families in the Schedler community. Some highlights from that session include VC member Weitz who said that Democracy doesn’t work if good people aren’t willing to put themselves out there to run for office, and that he would ensure that he lived up to the high standards that this community deserves and would work for all of us. Newly elected VC member Winograd was sworn in with her mom and family standing by and maintained that she would leave her website up to benchmark her campaign promises. As it clearly states “When elected, I will promptly work to implement the 2017 plan for Schedler Park, with its new youth athletic field, walking path, and children’s playscape, that was publicly approved by the VC under former Mayor Ramon Hache and bring that park to life as soon as possible. I will also establish a short-duration task force to explore future revenue-generating uses for the historic house at Schedler, which now stands unfinished and without a designated use. With each day that passes, the dormant Schedler property continues to cost Ridgewood taxpayers more money without any accompanying benefit. She also emphasized that the quality and transparency of Village communications were at the top of her list, however the intention to interview an attorney who we now find out is a consultant is in no way transparent, so there is more work to be done on that front. My take on Councilwoman Reynolds is that speaks from the heart and is open to meaningful change and conflict resolution. When there is a giant Fushia elephant in the room, she doesn’t whisk it away but rather listens to learn from residents who are expressing real concerns that will impact their lives and the lives of their family members who they hold dear. While she has not come out in favor of a large turf field, she is likely the only one listening to residents who feel there is a risk to go in this direction. Then there is Mayor Vagianos who was sworn in as Mayor during that very meeting. Ironically all of his comparisons to being Mayor and working with the VC were like a team playing for Ridgewood which in the end was the only thing that matters. He went on to say that every resident is also part of the “team” and that everyone needs to get off the bench and get into the game. I couldn’t agree more and isn’t that exactly what the Schedler community is doing to preserve their neighborhood and keep their families safe and healthy. Last but not least, VC member and Deputy Mayor Perrin was concise and to the point that evening expressing that Ridgewood’s future certainly looked bright and cautioned each VC member to pay attention to every resident, business owner and visitor whom you have contact with and listen until you really understand their issues. She went on to remind them that Ridgewood’s Village staff and employees are their greatest asset. I am sure this will be a comfort to staff who are furloughed as a result of the budget all the while half a million in funds is being used to pay for a consultant to evaluate the historical significance of Schedler and potentially manipulate the land for a large regulation turf field that only serves to benefit the sports cohorts. How is this for the greater good. It is a disgrace to hire and waste precious dollars on a consultant who has billed themselves as an historic and architectural expert but actually has misrepresented his academic credentials. (you can google this) I say to this Mayor and VC that as our elected trustees you have a duty to uphold the honor and integrity of Ridgewood, so please remember that.

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  25. And let’s stop giving credit to Mr. Hache, who was mayor for a big-deal two years and has milked it hard ever since, for things other people did, usually Susan Knudsen.

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  26. lets put those winograd campaign signs back on the front lawns of her supporters.

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  27. They are sending all the supervisors on the road. No more riding around any more. Stay with the crew and get dirty. Put your sneakers on .

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  28. OPEN MOUTH. SWALLOW CROW. As long as I can remain anonymous I’m afraid I was properly hoodwinked by my vote for one current member. She came highly recommended and I swallowed it. My second vote went to a very decent person who was not elected. He ran attached to one who was the designated loser so he went down too. The Three Amigos are actually beginning to look good in comparison to the foolishness going on now.

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  29. https://www.trashcontainers.com/northgate-receptacles?sku=4ZT4049-BK
    Trash container: 898.85
    $60,000.00/ 898.85 = 66.7 garbage cans

    OR

    https://www.trashcontainers.com/square-commercial-trash-receptacles
    Cost: $148.85
    $60,000.00/148.85 = 403 garbage cans

    OR
    Keep the trash cans that Ridgewood CBD already has and not furlough 1.5 workers.

    Done.
    Next foolish item to scratch?

  30. Just wondering instead of spending 500grand on the field this year, spend it next season it’s a lot of money . Why rush

  31. ouch

  32. What is 1.5 I’m confused on the furlough

    1. Estimated cost of one employee, $40,000. What is the actual cost?

    2. Put another way. How much money does Ridgewood save with the furloughs?

  33. I would be willing to make a bet that there were many campaign contributions given to the Village Mayor and perhaps certain Council members that has come due which is why there is pressure to build a giant regulation turf field. No one heard of this scheme until February 2023 when it was raised for the first time, as if that was the plan all along and I can tell you that it was not. that is called gaslighting. Whether you call it pay to play or something else, something is rotten here and it isn’t just a consultant who is trying to sell Ridgewood a bill of goods by overstating his credentials. This will look great under a very large microscope one day soon.

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  34. What I want to know is how much money does a Village have in reserve for an emergency. That’s real important.

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