Category: village of ridgewood

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Ridgewood Deputy Mayor Sedon Advances “New Hudson Street Garage Plan ” in Quiet Village Council Meeting

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file photo by Boyd Loving
March 9,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood Nj, in a shocking turn of events the Village Council had almost no public comments on Wednesday night.The Village Council continued to move forward on a variety of issues.

Village Manager Heather Mailander reminded everyone about the Village budget meetings;

Thursday, March 9  Senior Lounge     @ 5:30pm

Wednesday, March 15       Court Room   @ 5:30pm

Monday, March 27             Court Room     @ 5:30pm

Councilmen Voigt said that the Financial Advisory Committee was putting together an analysis of parking garage and how to pay for it, and working on an analysis of Village fees.

Deputy Mayor Michael Sedon in what may come as a surprise to many said the Village council has been looking to advance a Garage on Hudson street for months, the Village council will roll out a 3 story garage plan with a modified conceptual design that fits on the property and takes into account all the criticism of previous Garagezilla.

Councilmen Ramon Hache said the Central business advisory committee floated the idea of a local merchant reward card, earning credits against tax liabilities

Mayor Susan Knudsen reiterated that Village boards are for people invested in the community and to represent the Village of Ridgewood.

In what can be can only be considered a major breakthrough, in parking, the restrictions have been removed from backing into spaces.

Residents will be relieved to note that the fees will remain unchanged for Graydon Pool and Ridgewood Tennis this summer.

And finally the council also passed a new ordinance regulating the “Water Irrigation Schedule and Water Emergencies”. The new ordinance limits watering of lawns for both governmental and non-governmental properties to two days per week, year-round. Irrigation by a hand-held hose or drip/micro irrigation system is allowed any day. Defines the exceptions to this ordinance as well as the hours when watering of lawns is permitted, and enforcement policies and procedures.

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Big changes could be in store for this N.J. property tax relief program

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By Samantha Marcus | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on March 07, 2017 at 11:38 AM, updated March 07, 2017 at 12:25 PM

TRENTON — Seniors and citizens who benefit from New Jersey’s Senior Freeze property tax relief program could receive credits against their real estate bills instead of rebates under a bill in the Legislature.

The Assembly State and Local Government Committee on Monday approved the bill, which would convert the Senior Freeze reimbursements into credits — a change the sponsors said would cut state administrative costs and spare eligible homeowners from having to pay the full bill before receiving a reimbursement check in the following tax year.

The Senior Freeze programs is slated to help offset property tax increases for about 166,000 property owners this fiscal year.

To be eligible for the Senior Freeze program, you must be 65 or older or receiving Social Security benefits and have lived in the state for 10 years. Other requirements, including income limits, apply.

https://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/03/changes_could_be_in_store_for_this_nj_property_tax.html?utm_campaign=new-jersey-politics&utm_content=2017-08-03-9074583&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=New%20Jersey%20Politics#incart_river_home_pop

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Medicare fraud trial set for doctor tied to Menendez

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file photo by Boyd Loving

TERRY SPENCER, Associated Press9:23 a.m. ET March 6, 2017

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Many of the Medicare fraud charges against prominent Florida eye doctor Salomon Melgen are complicated, but one is simple — federal prosecutors say he claimed reimbursement for treating both eyes of patients who have one prosthetic.

Melgen is scheduled to go on trial Monday in West Palm Beach, facing 76 counts charging him with stealing up to $190 million from Medicare between 2004 and 2013. Prosecutors say he prescribed unneeded treatments, filed claims for procedures he never performed and charged for medicine he never purchased. If convicted, the 62-year-old doctor faces up to 610 years in prison. He is free on $18 million bond. He faces a bribery trial this fall in New Jersey with Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez

https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/nation/2017/03/06/medicare-fraud-trial-set-doctor-tied-menendez/98798844/?utm_campaign=new-jersey-politics&utm_content=2017-07-03-9063084&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=New%20Jersey%20Politics

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Yes Van Dyk’s in Ridgewood is Open For Business Can Spring be Far Behind ?

Van Dyk's Homemade Ice Cream

March 7,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, on Saturday Ridgewood ‘s favorite ice cream shop Van Dyk’s opened for the season. Daylight savings time is near and spring can’t be far behind.

In 2012 Van Dyk’s was named by CBS as one of New Jersey’s 4 best homemade Ice Cream shops. In 2014 New Jersey family magazine also picked Van Dyk’s as one of the Garden States best ice cream shops.

Don’t be surprised if you have never heard of Van Dyk’s.Unless you’re a long time Ridgewood native or heard about it via word of mouth, you probably don’t know about Van Dyke’s.Van Dyke makes all its own ice cream right on premises. The shop is located on the intersection of Ackerman Avenue and Spencer Place in Ridgewood. There’s a wooden sign in the parking lot which isn’t lit up at night, they don’t  advertise and the shop basically looks like a residential house with a somewhat bigger parking lot than some of the other houses in the neighborhood.
Van Dyk’s It’s located at 145 Ackerman Ave and open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week,(201) 444-1429.
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Village of Ridgewood “Erased the Hatred” from the sidewalk

Village of Ridgewood "Erased the Hatred" from the sidewalk

photo courtesy of Boyd Lovings Facebook page

March 7,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood Nj, Ridgewood PD Patrol Officer Salvatore D’Amico assists Detectives Douglas Henky and Steven Shortway in the investigation of a Swastika found etched in a sidewalk at the intersection of Northern Parkway and Overbrook Road, Ridgewood on Monday morning, 03/06. Ridgewood PD had learned of the Swastika via posts on numerous Ridgewood based Facebook groups.

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Ridgewood Village staff quickly jumped into action and “Erased the Hatred” from the sidewalk.

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Photo courtesy of Village of Ridgewood Mayor Susan Knudsen

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UNFUNDED LIABILITY OF PUBLIC-EMPLOYEE PENSION SYSTEM CLOSES IN ON $50 BILLION

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JOHN REITMEYER | MARCH 6, 2017

Lowering rate of return on fund investments will help, but some experts argue full actuarial payments — not called for in Christie budget address — remain critical

New actuarial calculations for New Jersey’s beleaguered public-employee pension system show an unfunded liability of near $50 billion, a staggering number for a retirement plan that’s been set up to cover roughly 780,000 current and retired government workers.

But many financial experts believe the pension system’s funding problem is potentially much worse, because the state has for decades been using optimistic assumptions when it comes to projecting annual investment returns.

The $72 billion pension system’s assumed rate of return, or discount rate, for the past few years has been 7.9 percent, which is higher than the average returns of just over 7 percent that the pension system has realized over the past 20 years. Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican who has stressed pension reform during his two terms in office, announced last week that the rate will be lowered to a more realistic 7.65 percent.

While the difference seems subtle, pension experts say the downward adjustment is good for the retirement system’s overall long-term health because it will generate a more realistic assessment of the unfunded liability, and that in turn will require the state to make more robust annual contributions in the ongoing effort to maintain the fund’s solvency.

Christie’s efforts — the reduction is just the latest to occur during his tenure — also line up with calls for more realistic accounting that have come from Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester), the Legislature’s leading Democrat on issues related to pension funding and employee benefits

https://www.njspotlight.com/stories/17/03/05/unfunded-liability-of-public-employee-pension-system-closes-in-on-50-billion/

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Swastika Found at the intersection of Northern Parkway and Overbrook Road in Ridgewood

Swastika Found at the intersection of Northern Parkway and Overbrook Road in Ridgewood

photo by Dana Glazer

March 6,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, this was shared on Facebook by Ridgewood resident Dana Glazer ; the discovery of this swastika at the intersection of Northern Parkway and Overbrook Road. It has evidently been here a while.

If you think that our village is immune to hatred, think again. Dana asks everyone to “Please be vigilant. Thank you.”

Mayor Susan Traina Knudsen is on top of the situation and prompt removal will occur today.

Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal reminds us of law enforcement efforts to investigate and prosecute bias incidents/crimes, including the need to report such events and the $10K reward offered by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office for information leading to a bias crime conviction.

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Reader says The sooner we address the Public Pension Crisis, the less bad it will be

Village Council Meeting

file photo by Boyd Loving

Ridgewood Police are, by and large, very good. The question that was put to us was, why does NJ have more cops per capita than other states? Answer – unions. Unions exist to make sure that the least qualified are guaranteed work and paid as well as the most qualified. Additionally, the union pension system is hopelessly unsustainable and when it finally breaks things will be ugly for everyone – those of us that pay for it and union members that collect it. The sooner we address this, the less bad it will be.

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NJ lawmakers take step toward taxing Airbnb and home-sharing rentals

Ridgewood Real-estate

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By Michael Symons March 5, 2017 9:00 PM

New Jersey lawmakers are moving ahead with plans to tax and regulate home-sharing operations like Airbnb. And while the company is OK with collecting taxes, it doesn’t like the approach being taken to license or prohibit the short-term rentals it brokers.

Assemblywoman Annette Quijano, D-Union, said New Jersey’s tax laws need to be updated to keep up with technology and the home-sharing portion of the hospitality industry.

“It’s unfair to hotels and motels that have to compete with a new business model that provides essentially the same service but does not have to charge state sales tax, the state hotel/motel fee and a municipal hotel tax, which can total up to 18 percent in some areas,” Quijano said. “That’s a very significant disparity and a significant barrier to overcome.”

Last year, more than 6,000 New Jersey hosts earned over $50 million through 257,000 short-term rentals arranged through Airbnb.

Read More: NJ lawmakers take step toward taxing Airbnb and home-sharing rentals | https://nj1015.com/nj-lawmakers-take-step-toward-taxing-airbnb-and-home-sharing-rentals/?trackback=tsmclip

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VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD PSEG IMPROVEMENTS – MARCH 6 – 10 WORK SCHEDULE UPDATE

PSEG CBD
March 6,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

PSE&G ELECTRIC RELIABILITY IMPROVEMENTS

UTILITY UNDERGROUND INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADE

WORK SCHEDULE UPDATE: March 6, 2017 – March 10, 2017

March 6, 2017 –March 9, 2017

Underground Pipe Installation

Franklin Ave.

(Chestnut and North Broad Street)

When working inside the intersection, access to N. Broad will be impacted. Detailed detour signs will be in place. When working on Franklin Ave. 2 lanes of traffic will be maintained,

Parking on Franklin Avenue near the intersection of Chestnut will be impacted during working hours.

March 10, 2017

Underground Pipe Installation

Intersection of

Franklin Ave. & Walnut

Traffic will be shifted, two lanes will be maintained.

Parking will be impacted during working hours.

As part of our electric reliability improvements in Bergen County, PSE&G will be performing utility underground work in the Village of Ridgewood. As of early-March 2017, PSE&G will beperforming the following activities in your area:

Excluding inclement weather delays, PSE&G anticipates working Monday – Friday, (7:00am – 5:00pm).

Safety is our primary concern. PSE&G will work with the Ridgewood Police Department to minimize any traffic concerns or inconveniences to the public. During construction, please refrain from going near our construction work zones.

The upgrades will enhance your electric capacity, system redundancy, and service reliability within the Village of Ridgewood, as well as surrounding communities. If you have questions or concerns, please call our toll free number at 1-877-678-5784

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If your property tax bill is mind-blowingly high, just be thankful you don’t live in New Jersey, oh you do !

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file photo by Boyd Loving

Think Your Property Taxes Are High? See the Most—and Least—Expensive States

New Jersey is the state with the highest property taxes in the nation

By Clare Trapasso | Mar 2, 2017

If your property tax bill is mind-blowingly high, just be thankful you don’t live in New Jersey. And if you do, well, that’s got to hurt your bank account.

For the third year in a row, New Jersey is the state with the highest property taxes in the nation, according to a recent WalletHub report, with an effective real estate tax rate of 2.35%. This totals about $7,410 annually on a nearly $316,000 home, the median price in the state.

WalletHub analyzed U.S. Census Bureau data to figure out the real estate tax rates by dividing the median annual property tax payment for the state by the state’s median home price. Property taxes are typically levied at the county level, and go toward things like local schools, police and fire services, and parks.

https://www.realtor.com/news/trends/property-taxes-for-least-most-expensive-states/

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The Friends of the Ridgewood Library Author Luncheon is less than 2 weeks away!

Jamie Ford author

March 5,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The Friends of the Library Author Luncheon is less than 2 weeks away! If you haven’t purchased your tickets yet, now’s the time!

The day will be jam-packed with an insightful Author talk, book signing and fabulous auction.

Auction highlights include: a beautiful condo for a weekend to ski Stratton, VT, bike-to-beach and relax at Hilton Head Sea Pines resort, sports tickets from the Devils, Mets and Nets, and the opportunity to train with a fantastic tennis pro! For our foodies, there are opportunities to treat the gourmand in you with a food and wine experience at Astor Center in NYC, Happy hour for 20 with a CIA-trained chef, and more!

The Author is Jamie Ford , “Ford is a first-rate novelist whose bestselling debut, ‘Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet,’ was a joy to read. With his new book, he takes a great leap forward and demonstrates the uncanny ability to move me to tears.” -Pat Conroy, author of “South of Broad”

Join us on March 15th to support our amazing programs at the Ridgewood Public Library!

Tickets may be purchased at: https://friends2017authorluncheon.eventbee.com

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EMMANUEL BAPTIST CHURCH PRESENTS ALL SEASONS CHAMBER PLAYERS

EMMANUEL BAPTIST CHURCH PRESENTS ALL SEASONS CHAMBER PLAYERS
Sun, March 12, 2017
Time: 3:00 PM

Location: Emmanuel Baptist Church, 14 Hope Street, Ridgewood, NJ 07450

For Information contact the church office at 201-444-7300 or visit www.emmanuelridgewood.org or www.facebook.com/EBCRidgewood.
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TODAY RIDGEWOOD VOLUNTEER FAIR FOR 55+

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VOLUNTEER FAIR FOR 55+ – SUNDAY, MARCH 5TH

March 5,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, For those age 55+, let us help you redefine your free time and connect with just the right volunteer opportunity to match your skills, interests and availability. Please stop by our Volunteer Fair on Sunday, March 5 from 2-4pm in the Library’s Auditorium and meet representatives from many organizations. A great chance to sign up or explore some options. We hope to see you there. Sponsored by the Ridgewood Library and Age Friendly Ridgewood

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Still No Word on Ridgewood Financial Advisory Committee Meeting Generally Excepted Industry Standards

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file photo by Boyd Loving

March 5,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, readers are questioning why has the Ridgewood Financial Advisory Committee still not met commonly accepted standards used throughout the world?

While the rumor and innuendo spending in an attempt to undermine the Mayor and the current council are being sprinkled around town, the fact is the Ridgewood Financial Advisory Committee continues not to meet the most minimum commonly excepted practices in the Finance and accounting industries.

This taints any advice given by the committee and could open the Village to a whole host of law suits.

Once again in order for the Financial Advisory Committee to be an effective part of the Village governance the following criteria have to be met:

Publish clear and realistic by-laws
Post agenda’s of all meetings
Post minutes of all meetings promptly
All members must sign Financial disclosure forms  
All members must sign NDA’s or non-disclosure forms

These are professional standards that are used and commonly accepted everywhere in the world.