Author: James

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Former U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett Tapped to lead U.S. Export-Import Bank

scott garrett trump tower
April 15,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

President Donald Trump said Friday he would nominate former U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett, who had supported closing the U.S. Export-Import Bank, to head the credit agency. Garrett’s fight against the agency was well documented on this blog. Garrett’s considered the agency’s action nothing tantamount to corporate welfare.

Mr. Garrett voted in both 2012 and in 2015 against renewing the charter of the Ex-Im Bank, which guarantees loans for companies that export U.S. products.

Garrett a policy wonk had worked closely with Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R., Texas), the current chair of the House Financial Services Committee who steered the campaign to curtail the Ex-Im Bank. He helped engineer a five-month lapse in the agency’s charter in 2015, and the Ex-Im Bank hasn’t been able to approve financial for deals of more than $10 million for the last two years because Senate Republicans didn’t fill empty board seats, depriving the agency of a quorum.

Garrett’s nomination comes just days after Trump appeared to soften his stance on the bank and said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal he now supported the bank after having been critical of it.

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NJ Governors Race : Rullo Accuses Rogers of simply posturing for the NJ Lt Governor job

joe rullo

April 15,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Steve Rogers, a township commissioner in Nutley has been after outsider Joseph Rudy Rullo from the start of his campaign . Yesterday Rullo turned up the heat accusing Rogers of simply posturing for the Lt Governor job.

In a Facebook post Joseph Rudy Rullo said ,”I believe the rumor Rogers is in race to take away votes from our campaign and posturing for Lt Governor was validated today. Between him announcing one year late into our campaign using much of our platform as a guide and targeting our support and last few months of defending Guadagno. I challenge Rogers to pledge not to accept Lt Governor position if offered by any of the establishment candidates! Like my other two opponents he has been in office for over a decade and ladder climbing is unacceptable at the expense of Draining The Swamp In Trenton and fixing NJ. This is another reason his campaign hasn’t resonated with non establishment voters who don’t trust career politicians and their calculated political motives!!!!”

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VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD ORDINANCE NO. 3588: limit, restrict and regulate the use of water by customers of Ridgewood Water

ridgewood water bill

ORDINANCE NO 3588

VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD ORDINANCE NO. 3588

AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND CHAPTER 269 OF THE CODE  OF THE VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD, WATER

BE IT ORDAINED by the Village Council of the Village of Ridgewood: Chapter 269 – Water, of the Code of the Village of Ridgewood is hereby amended as follows:

Section1: Replace Article IV: Water Emergencies, with the following:

Article IV: Water: Irrigation Schedule & Water Emergencies

§ 269-43 Purpose.

The purpose of this article is to limit, restrict and regulate the use of water by customers of the Department of Water Supply of the Village of Ridgewood during periods of use and emergency, as hereinafter defined, in order to ensure public health and safety.

§ 269-44 Definitions.

For the purposes of this article, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them by this section:

EMERGENCY

Any period of water shortage or imminent water shortage caused by drought; lack or failure of proper pumping equipment, storage or other facilities; acts of God or public enemies; or excessive demand upon or use of water facilities or capacity.

CONVENTIONAL IRRIGATION SYSTEM OR DEVICE

Hose end irrigation systems and automatic irrigation devices.

DRIP/MICRO IRRIGATION

An irrigation method that saves water and fertilizer by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of many different plants, either onto the soil surface or directly onto the root zone, through a network of valves, pipes, tubing, and emitters.

HAND HELD HOSE

A hose designed to be operated while being held in the hand and equipped with a nozzle that automatically shuts off when released.

IRRIGATION

The watering or sprinkling (including automatic sprinkling) of lawns, shrubs and gardens.

NJDEP

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

NJPDES

New Jersey Pollution Discharge Elimination System.

SMART CONTROLLER

A weather based irrigation controller or soil moisture based irrigation controller meeting criteria specified and labeled as being compliant under the United States Environmental Protection Agency Water Sense Program and meeting the guidelines prescribed by Ridgewood Water.

WATER

That water obtained, delivered and/or supplied to any persons by the Department of Water Supply of the Village of Ridgewood or pumped from private wells for residential irrigation purposes.

§ 269-45 Declaration of emergency.

The Village Manager is authorized to enforce the provisions of this article and, in his discretion, to determine and declare the existence and extent of an emergency with respect to the water supply of the Village of Ridgewood. The determination of the Village Manager shall apply to all communities served by the Department of Water Supply of the Village of Ridgewood, and notification of the emergency shall be promulgated to all such communities in the most reasonably expeditious manner. Interim emergency regulations may be adopted without notice by the Village Manager of the Village of Ridgewood and shall apply to all communities serviced by the Department of Water Supply of the Village of Ridgewood and shall be promulgated in the most reasonably expeditious manner to all the communities.

§ 269-46 Public notice.

Public notice of the declaration of an emergency and the determinations made by the Village Manager of the Village of Ridgewood shall be made in the most expeditious manner by publication in the legal newspaper for the Village of Ridgewood and, for the other communities served by the Department of Water Supply, by posting in each municipal building and at such other public places as shall be designated by the Village Manager and the local administrators or Clerks of the serviced communities. Notice shall also be disseminated through the press and the public in general. The emergency shall remain in effect until declared at an end by the Village Manager of the Village of Ridgewood.

§ 269-47 Violations and penalties.

It shall be unlawful and a violation hereof for any person to use water during the emergency period in violation of this article. Any property owner(s) found to be in violation of the provisions of this chapter shall be subject to a fine up to a maximum of $2000 per violation, per individual block and lot location.

§ 269-48 Regulations.

The following irrigation schedule and water emergency regulations are hereby adopted to become effective as set forth herein:

A. Irrigation schedule, effective year round:

  1. All non- governmental properties: Irrigation by a conventional irrigation system or device, may only be done on Tuesday and Saturday for odd numbered addresses and Wednesday and Sunday for even numbered addresses.
  2. Governmental properties: Irrigation by a conventional irrigation system or device may only be done on Monday and Friday.
  3. Irrigation using a hand held hose or drip/micro irrigation system shall be allowed any day.

The emergency stages shall be as follows:

Stage of Emergency Regulation Drought Emergency Condition User Restrictions
III Pending/Critical Mandatory restriction of irrigation for all properties to the use of a hand-held hose on Tuesdays and Saturdays for properties with odd-numbered addresses and Wednesdays and Sundays for properties with even-numbered addresses. No irrigation of any kind shall be allowed on Mondays, Thursdays, or Fridays.
IV Critical Irrigation is prohibited at any time. Exceptions for irrigation using a hand-held hose may be allowed under conditions prescribed by the Village Manager of the Village of Ridgewood.

B.  Stage III and Stage IV emergency regulations shall become effective upon declaration of each stage by the Village Manager of the Village of Ridgewood. The cleaning of cars, houses or property, filling of swimming pools or other outdoor water usage shall be prohibited during Stage III and Stage IV.

C. Exceptions to the user restrictions shall be determined by the Village Manager of the Village of Ridgewood or a Village of Ridgewood employee designated by the Village Manager.   The request for an exception shall be submitted on forms prepared by Ridgewood Water and shall include any required documentation. Exceptions will automatically be denied for customers with bill balances beyond 120 days. Exceptions are subject to renewal annually and may be voided at any time due to an emergency. The exceptions may include the following:

  1. Outdoor irrigation necessary for the establishment of newly sodded or seeded grass lawns or landscaping within the first 21 consecutive days of planting.
  2. Irrigation of lawns or plantings with Smart controllers.
  3. Outdoor water use from rain harvesting (rain barrels, etc.), gray water, or reclaimed water. Use of gray or reclaimed water must have an approved NJPDES permit issued through the NJDEP.
  4. Outdoor irrigation necessary for one day only where treatment with an application of chemicals require immediate watering to preserve an existing landscape or to establish a new landscape.
  5. Other outdoor water usage.

D. Irrigation shall not be conducted between 10 AM and 6 PM on any day. Irrigation using automatic systems may only be used between 3 AM and 7 AM on the permissible day.

E. All automatic irrigation systems shall be equipped with an operational automatic rain sensor device. Each rain sensor device shall be capable of and programmed to interrupt the automatic irrigation cycle when a ¼ inch of rain has fallen.

§ 269-49 Discontinuance of water supply to premises in violation.

In accordance with NJAC 14:3-3A.1(a), If any person, whether an inhabitant of the Village of Ridgewood or Township of Wyckoff or of the Boroughs of Glen Rock or Midland Park, shall violate any provision of this article in such a manner as to produce disturbing effects on the service of the utility or other customers, the Village Department of Water Supply shall have the right and it is hereby empowered to cut off the supply of water to the premises and meter upon and from which such violation shall have taken place for such period or periods of time as shall be deemed necessary to secure compliance with all applicable terms of this article.

§ 269-50 Enforcement.

The enforcement of the provisions of this article shall be the responsibility of the Director of Water Supply, its Business Manager, Superintendent of Water, Assistant Superintendent of Water, Supervisor of Water Distribution, Senior Engineer, Village Engineer, Property Management Officer, any duly sworn member of the Village of Ridgewood Police Department, and any other officer and/or Village employee duly appointed by the Village Manager.

Section 2: Except as herein amended and supplemented, Chapter 269, of The Code of

the Village of Ridgewood remains in full force and effect.

Section 3: This ordinance shall take effect immediately upon passage and publication as required by law.

 

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Reader says New water Restrictions just like in 3rd world countries

Sprinkler watering the lawn

I was one of the big supporters of this VC BUT not anymore. Water restrictions have done it for me. The latest restriction list is total bullshit. It tells me these people have no clue and just try to naively jump the gun. The way these restrictions are escalating means that in a couple of years there won’t be any water allowance for irrigation, pools and just about anything else. We may end up having scheduled water delivery in our home taps, just like in 3rd world countries. And NO I don’t buy the bullshit about the limited capabilities of Ridgewood Water. INVEST and frigging fix the issue. You were elected to resolve issues by finding solutions not taxing people in order to make these problems go away. If you can’t then resign and let someone else do it.

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State officially lifts drought warning for North Jersey .Ridgewood officially institutes Permanent Restrictions same week

RidgewoodWaterLogo 061912 rn tif

 Readers respond……Perfect timing, Ridgewood goes into permanent drought restrictions on the same day!

Yeah, sure. Expect me to follow these idiotic rules. By the way what color should the handheld be? How will they determine whether I am using SMART controllers or a rain sensor? VC go away and fix the problem and do not force restrictions on hard working, tax paying residents who have done the impossible to live in a decent village but are now facing Africa like water problems at a time when there has been record rainfall. Idiots.

State officially lifts drought warning for North Jersey .Ridgewood officially institutes Permanent Restrictions same week.

Do they expect residents to instal rain sensors if their existing sprinkler system does not have one?

As other posts mentioned, Bergen County is no longer in drought conditions, this seems excessive, I have been seeing mine and neighbors sump pumps pumping excess ground water into the street all week.

I don’t understand why we couldn’t continue with restrictions based on actual scientific data. ( i.e. rainfall )

It’s obvious mismanagement at the water dept. they need to get more wells and more storage capacity . I remember years ago when my bill went up exponentialy their claim was they didn’t sell enough water.These people running the show would not last one day in the real world.

It came out that you can’t hand water flowers or use a hose. This needs a better explanation and needs to be reviewed. What’s next…no showering? Boyd was spot on pointing out that there is no enforcement of saving water in Wyckoff and Midland Park while we are going through draconian measures.

https://theridgewoodblog.net/drought-warning-lifted-for-all-new-jersey-except-hunterdon-and-somerset-counties/

https://theridgewoodblog.net/its-official-new-ridgewood-water-irrigation-schedule-water-emergencies-ordinance-now-in-effect/

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Glen Rock Reinstates Officer Who Sued Borough After His 2014 Firing

Glen Rock Police Dept

April 15,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Glen Rock NJ, according to Glen Rock mayor Bruce Packer who announced at Monday’s Borough Council meeting former Glen Rock police officer Matthew Stanislao, who was fired by the borough in October, 2014 and later sued the borough claiming he was the victim of discrimination because he is gay, has now been reinstated to his former position after he and the borough reached an out-of-court settlement that will give him two-and-a-half years’ worth of back pay and $750,000 in damages.

Officer Stanislao sued the borough in October 2014, one week after he was notified that he had been fired. In his suit he alleged that several officers had sexually harassed him for being gay.

Packer said “In the spirit of moving forward, the Borough pursued, and has now achieved, a full and final settlement, which will reinstate Mr. Stanislao to the Glen Rock Police Department.’

Packer stated the Stanislao will return to work on or before May 5, and the mayor added that the borough’s insurance company will cover $600,000 of the settlement. He also said the portion of the settlement that the borough will pay has already been figured into the annual budget for this year.

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NJ Homeland Security issues terror preparedness warning for malls and shopping centers

Westfield Garden State Plaza

April 14, 2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, After foreign terrorist calls to attack shopping malls in the West, which has been circulating in propaganda since 2015, the Limbecker Platz mall in the western German city of Essen closed on March 11. Two men were arrested after German police received a tip that ISIS contacted followers in Germany to attack the mall—the second terror plot against malls in the country since December 2016.

In December 2016, German police arrested two Kosovar brothers allegedly plotting to attack CentrO mall in Oberhausen, the largest mall in Europe. The brothers were later released due to a lack of evidence.

In September 2016, Dahir Adan attacked and wounded 20 people with a knife at the Crossroads Center shopping mall in St. Cloud, Minnesota. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.

While there are no specific or credible threats to New Jersey, NJOHSP encourages mall owners and operators to consider the following risk mitigation measures:

Increase presence of security personnel to deter and prevent an attack. Visible uniformed security personnel at public entrances and on patrol throughout the facility can deter attacks, while non-uniformed security personnel can monitor mall staff and customers for suspicious behavior.

Control non-public access points and restricted areas. Mall owners should regulate access to non-public entrances via secure locking mechanisms, and they should use video surveillance to monitor all entrances and restricted areas for suspicious behavior and unauthorized access.

Train mall employees and security personnel on active shooter response. All full- and part-time employees should receive active shooter training during new-hire orientation. Active shooter response plans should be exercised with staff and security personnel quarterly.

Educate mall staff and customers on how to detect and report suspicious activity. Mall owners should develop an awareness campaign focused on indicators of suspicious behavior and terrorist surveillance. Information should include See Something, Say Something materials for display throughout facilities.

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Judicial Watch Calls upon Office of Congressional Ethics to Investigate Whether Rep. Schiff and Rep. Speier Disclosed Classified Information

Rep
April 14,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

(Washington, DC)  – Judicial Watch today sent a hand-delivered letter to the chairman and co-chairman of the House Office of Congressional Ethics calling for an investigation into whether Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Jackie Speier (D-CA) “disclosed classified information to the public in violation of House ethics rules.”

Citing the ethics complaints filed against House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-CA) charging that he “may have made unauthorized disclosures of classified information, in violation of House Rules, regulations, or other standards of conduct,” Judicial Watch wrote:

If the standard for filing a complaint or opening an ethics investigation is that a member has commented publicly on matters that touch on classified information, but the member does not reveal the source of his or her information, then the complaints against Chairman Nunes are incomplete insofar as they target only Nunes.  At least two other members of the House Intelligence Committee have made comments about classified material that raise more directly the very same concerns raised against Chairman Nunes because they appear to confirm classified information contained in leaked intelligence community intercepts.

On March 21, 2017, the Ranking Member of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Adam Schiff spoke to an audience at the Brookings Institute in which he commented on an intelligence community intercept of a December 29, 2016 conversation between Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislayak and retired U.S. Army General Michael Flynn, who had been selected by then-President Elect Donald Trump to serve as National Security Advisor.  Both the fact of the conversation and the conversation’s contents were leaked to the news media and reported widely.  In his Brookings Institute speech, Rep. Schiff stated:

And then you have leaks that expose malfeasance or illegality.  Now, I put that kind of leak, I put the Flynn leak in that category.  And what was most disturbing to me, frankly, about that was:  here you had a situation where the president is informed that his national security advisor . . . has lied to the vice president, and probably others . . . about a conversation with the Russians over sanctions imposed over hacking in the election to help the president.

***

Likewise, an April 3, 2017 report in the Daily Caller quotes Representative Jackie Speier as commenting publicly on both the contents of the Kislayak-Flynn conversations and Flynn’s subsequent “unmasking” as a U.S. person incidentally intercepted by the intelligence community:

Now, if in fact, it was unmasked and if it was General Flynn.  You have to understand the context in which it was unmasked. We do know that. Ambassador Kislayak and General Flynn were freelancing sanctions relief at the end of December, when he had no portfolio in which to make any kind of negotiations with Ambassador Kislayak.” [Emphasis added]

Like Rep. Schiff, Rep. Speier did not disclose how she knew about the conversation between Ambassador Kislayak and General Flynn or about General Flynn’s “unmasking,” but the statement attributed to her also appears to confirm the contents of leaked, classified information.

Judicial Watch concludes by asking “the Office of Congressional Ethics conduct a preliminary investigation into whether Rep. Schiff and Rep. Speier disclosed classified information to the public in violation of House ethics rules.”

“At least two leading Democrats, Reps. Schiff and Speier, on the House Intelligence Committee seem to have improperly disclosed classified information,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “While the Ethics Committee examines Rep. Nunes’s innocuous statements on Obama’s surveillance on the Trump team, it ought to expand its investigation to include the other members of the Intelligence Committee who seem to have flagrantly violated the rules.”

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Did you know that Lincoln was shot on Good Friday?

lincoln shot

Good Friday a good day for Republicans to stay away from the theater

April 14th 2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, on this day in 1865, Abraham Lincoln is shot by an assassin , John Wilkes Booth.  Lincoln was shot on Good Friday. April 14 was Good Friday that year, just as it is this year.Unfortunately, as we all know, Lincoln would pass away the next day.

The President had decided to spend his Good Friday evening at a comedy at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. It had been only 5 days since General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant, effectively bringing the Civil War to a close. As the President watched the show from his box, an assassin burst through the door and shot Lincoln in the back of the head. The assassin, John Wilkes Booth, then dropped his pistol and began waving a dagger in the air.

Another occupant of the box, Major Henry R. Rathbone, lunged for Booth and forced him toward the railing. Booth slashed Rathbone in the arm and leapt from the box shouting “Sic semper Tyrannis! The South is avenged!” His boot caught on a flag as he jumped, and his leg was broken when he landed. Despite his injury, Booth managed to flee the scene.

In the meantime, a doctor in the audience had made it upstairs to Lincoln’s box. The bullet had lodged behind the President’s right eye. Lincoln was carried, barely breathing, across the street to a boardinghouse. Lincoln passed away at 7:22 a.m. the nest day.

Booth had co-conspirators who were trying to assassinate other members of Lincoln’s administration. One accomplice, Lewis Powell (a.k.a. Lewis Payne), attacked the Secretary of State, William Henry Seward, on the same night that Lincoln was shot. Through luck Seward survived .

Booth and his co-conspirators also intended to kill Vice President Andrew Johnson and General Ulysses S. Grant. Grant however changed his mind about attending Ford’s Theatre with the President that night.

In the end, four of Booth’s co-conspirators were captured, convicted, and hung.. One of them, Mary Surratt, became the first woman to be executed by the U.S. government. A few others were imprisoned for their involvement and Booth was discovered hiding in a barn in Virginia two weeks after he assassinated Lincoln, and mortally wounded during the attempt to capture him. It was the first time in American history, a President had been assassinated.

 

 

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NJTPC to host Special Guest Speaker Assemblyman Robert J. Auth

Assemblyman Robert J

Where : 650 American Legion Drive, Teaneck N J
When :  April 18 – 7pm

(Don’t forget to bring a pantry item for the American Legion food drive-support our veterans’ good works)

Teaneck NJ, We are pleased and fortunate to have as our guest speaker Robert J. Auth, Assemblyman for NJ D39. Assemblyman Auth received his B.A. from New York University with majors in History and Philosophy. He serves in the Assembly on the Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee, Commerce and Economic Development Committee and the Education Committee. He is also the Chief Executive Officer at Plaza Travel and Insurance Services Ltd., a company he founded in 1985. In the past, he was a teacher for the North Bergen School District from 2004 to 2006. He is an aircraft pilot having flown since 1982.

We look forward to hearing Assemblyman Auth’s input and information on the following bills, which he is sponsoring on subjects and issues that affect us all:

A4884   “Empower the Principal Act”; eliminates local school superintendents and prohibits schools from having more than one assistant or vice-principal  
 
A4481 Decreases petroleum products gross receipts tax rate on certain petroleum products; dissolves Transportation Trust Fund Authority; establishes “New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund Account Commission.”
 
ACR28 Proposes constitutional amendment to establish revenue responsibility through annual State appropriations cap limiting spending growth to one percent per year over six years and a permanent revenue responsibly fund reserved for reducing State pension benefit liabilities.
 
A376 Concerns county government dissolution

Remember…….Assembly representatives may not be in your district but can do good work which will benefit us in all districts, so come and hear what is being said and know who the Assembly representatives are that are working to make NJ a better state and a less ‘taxing’ state.

See you Tuesday!  Bring a friend!!

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5 last-minute tax tips you need to know now

irs

by Dan Caplinger for The Motley Fool   @CNNMoneyApril 13, 2017: 2:10 PM ET
Your video will play in 00:07

The tax filing deadline is just days away, and if you haven’t yet filed your 2016 tax return, the finish line is looming just ahead.

As you crank through the things you need to do to get your returns prepared and filed, it’s essential not to lose sight of some key ideas that smart taxpayers always keep in mind.

By being aware of these simple rules, you can do your best to pay as little tax as necessary and avoid unnecessary audit or other risks.

https://money.cnn.com/2017/04/13/pf/taxes/tax-tips/

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With Taxes ‘On Sale’ It Could Be Time To Convert To A Roth IRA

life insurance seniors

April 14,2017
by Gary Marriage Jr

Ridgewood NJ, Retirement can open up a whole new way of life for Americans ready to bring their working years to an end, but at least one thing doesn’t change.

The IRS still keeps a watchful eye on your income – including whatever amount you’re pulling from the IRA or 401(k) that you spent decades building into a nice, hefty nest egg.

Uncle Sam has been waiting for years – possibly decades – to tax that money because the deposits you made were pre-tax, meaning you weren’t taxed on the income you contributed to the accounts.

That tax-deferral system works well – until retirement time arrives and you need the money.

“When you defer taxes, eventually it catches up with you,” says Gary Marriage Jr., CEO of Nature Coast Financial Advisors (www.naturecoastfinancial.com). “Suddenly, your IRA or 401(k) isn’t worth as much as you thought because every withdrawal you make potentially can be taxed.”

But there’s an answer and, with President Donald Trump and Congress looking at tax cuts, now would be the time to take advantage, Marriage says.

Those traditional IRA and 401(k) accounts can be converted to a Roth IRA, which isn’t taxed when withdrawals are made. That doesn’t mean you’ll avoid the taxes, Marriage says, because you’ll pay them when you make the conversion. But when you reach retirement, you’ll be able to make withdrawals the rest of your life tax free.

“Taxes are about to be on sale,” Marriage says. “Over the next four to five years, your tax bracket is probably going to be as low as it ever will be.”

He says some facts worth knowing about Roth conversions include:

• Space out the conversion. Most people wouldn’t want to take the tax hit all at once, and you don’t have to. You can transfer the money into a Roth in increments over the course of a few years. So if, for example, you space out the conversion over five years, then the tax is spaced out over five years as well. A few factors determine how much you can convert the first year, but Marriage says about 40 percent of the people he has worked with were able to convert half of it in the first year.
• The age to do it. A conversion can be done regardless of the account holder’s age, but Marriage says it’s his experience that people 59 ½ to 74 benefit the most.
• Start with a Roth if possible. Some employers now offer a Roth 401(k) as an option. Employees should take advantage of that, Marriage says. They won’t get to defer their taxes on the portion of their income they contribute to the account, but the interest grows tax free and they’ll avoid taxes come retirement time.

Marriage says he recently did a conversion for a client where he had calculated that if the client lived to be 90, they would have paid nearly $1 million in taxes on IRA withdrawals.

“Switching to a Roth lowered that to $200,000,” he says. “I know that still sounds like a lot, but I’d rather pay $200,000 than nearly $1 million.”

About Gary Marriage Jr.

Gary Marriage Jr. is the founder and CEO of Nature Coast Financial Advisors (www.naturecoastfinancial.com), which educates retirees on how to protect their assets, increase their income and reduce their taxes. Marriage is a national speaker, delivering solutions for pre-retirees, business owners and seniors on the areas affecting their retirement and estates. He is an approved member of the National Ethics Bureau, and has been featured in “America’s Top Hometown Financial Advisors 2011” and was selected to contribute to a book with Steve Forbes titled, “SuccessOnomics: Power Principles.” Marriage is also the founder of Operation Veteran Aid, an advocate for war-time veterans and their families.

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Spring has Sprung in Ridgewood

spring_time_theridgewoodblog

Dear Great Friends at the Ridgewood blog ,

New Yardwaste Collection Regulations, New Water Conservation Regulations, and Earth Day Celebration
The Village’s Yard Waste Program will begin on Monday, April 17th
and the Village hasNEW YARDWASTE COLLECTION REGULATIONS
Grass clippings ONLY are to be placed in paper biodegradable bags
or a 32-gallon refuse container.  No plastic bags will be accepted.

Branches/Brush will be collected separately from grass clippings on your scheduled day.  Branches must be no longer than 3 feet in length and 2 inches in diameter
They must be bundled and tied or contained in a refuse container.

To locate your area for yardwaste collection,
go to the Village website www.ridgewoodnj.net, click on My Village Services Lookup
and enter your address to find your respective area.


NEW WATER CONSERVATION REGULATIONS

The Village Council has adopted Ordinance #3588, which establishes new Water Conservation Regulations.  The new regulations include:  two days/week for watering year-round, time restrictions for watering, for both sprinklers and a hand-held hose, and use of smart sensors or drip irrigation.  This ordinance can be found on both the home page of the Village’s website, www.ridgewoodnj.net; as well as the home page of Ridgewood Water, water.ridgewoodnj.net.

EARTH DAY CELEBRATION – APRIL 23, 2017
MEMORIAL PARK AT VAN NESTE SQUARE
11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Ridgewood Water, in partnership with the Conservancy for Ridgewood Public Lands, and the Ridgewood Environmental Advisory Committee present:

Ridgewood Water’s Journey: “From Rain to Drain”, Daffodil Festival and
Earth Day Fair.  There will be educational displays, water conservation information, food, a petting zoo, crafts, live music by “Blue Plate Special” and the fun “Daffy Dog Parade”.   Free admission and fun for the whole family!

Best Regards,
signature
Heather A. Mailander
Village Manager
201/670-5500 x202

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New Jersey Makes the Top 10 of States with Highest Tax Burden

for sale Ridgewood_Real_Estate_theRodgewopodblog

file photo by Boyd Loving

April 14th 2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, with Tax Day fast approaching and Republicans planning the first major overhaul of the U.S. tax code in three decades, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its 2017 Tax Burden by State report.

In order to determine which states tax their residents most aggressively, WalletHub’s analysts compared the 50 states based on the three components of state tax burden — property taxes, individual income taxes, and sales and excise taxes — as a share of total personal income.

States with Highest Tax Burdens (%) States with Lowest Tax Burdens (%)
1 New York (12.94%) 41 Montana (7.51%)
2 Hawaii (11.27%) 42 Wyoming (7.29%)
3 Vermont (10.75%) 43 Alabama (7.19%)
4 Maine (10.73%) 44 South Dakota (7.12%)
5 Minnesota (10.24%) 45 Florida (6.79%)
6 Connecticut (10.23%) 46 New Hampshire (6.70%)
7 New Jersey (10.14%) 47 Oklahoma (6.61%)
8 Rhode Island (10.09%) 48 Tennessee (6.45%)
9 Illinois (10.00%) 49 Alaska (6.27%)
10 California (9.52%) 50 Delaware (5.59%)

Key Stats

  • Red states have a lower overall tax burden, with an average rank of 30.27, than Blue states, which have an average rank of 18.30 (lower rank = higher tax burden).
  • New Hampshire has the highest property tax as a share of personal income, 5.33 percent, which is 3.9 times higher than in Oklahoma, the state with the lowest at 1.38 percent.
  • New York has the highest individual income taxes as a share of personal income, 4.76 percent, whereas Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington and Wyoming do not levy such a tax on their residents.
  • Hawaii has the highest total sales and excise tax as a share of personal income, 6.52 percent, which is 5.7 times higher than in Oregon, the state with the lowest at 1.14 percent.

To view the full report and your state’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-highest-lowest-tax-burden/20494/

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Schedler Park in Ridgewood Saved from Destruction

Save Our Schedler Members & Friends at the Schedler House3
photo by Boyd Loving
April 14,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Village Council rescinded Resolution #15-257 Wednesday night, saving the Schedler Park from being clear-cut and destroying acres of trees and wildlife habitat.

The council’s unanimous vote to do the right thing was another blow for the disastrous plans of former Village administration.

This is a huge victory for the neighborhood who has been fighting to preserve both the natural environment at Schedler but also preserve the historic significance of the sight .

Neighbors felt the sight was unsuitable for a baseball field for many reasons including the noise from Route 17, parking issues and the lack of road infrastructure ,which they felt would overwhelm the neighborhood.

There was also fears that wildlife habitat would be lost when it was discovered eagles used the area as a food source.

In October 2015 Resident Jacqueline Hone raised several issues pertaining to the Schedler Park Project including the allegation that the applications for Open Space Funds were fraudulent .

Ms Hone basically received the blow off from former Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld .

Hone sent a second email exclaiming ,”A citizen’s complaint should not be viewed as a threat, but rather an opportunity to dismiss wrong doing and restore/gain public trust. As public servants, Village Manager and Council, have a fiduciary obligation to investigate citizen’s complaints and afford the complainant due process. The complainant has a right to receive a panel decision, with detailed explanation, as to whether allegations are sustained, not sustained, deemed unfounded or exonerated.”