Category: village of ridgewood

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Reader asks Who Pays the Obamacare “Cadillac Tax” in 2020 for Ridgewood Municipal and School Employees?

Ridgewood Police

file photo by Boyd Loving

Reader asks ,please don’t forget the ACA excise taxes from 2020~…. that’s another 40% on platinum level health benefits like those our teachers, police and fire currently enjoy. They either all need to be downgraded to bronze level health benefits or taxpayers will bear the brunt of the 40% tax on $25,000 family plans, i.e. an additional $10,000 a year per Village and BOE employee with a platinum family plan. Who pays for that?

 

Ridgewood NJ, On December 18, 2015, Congress passed and the President signed a two-year delay of the 40 percent excise tax on high-cost employer-sponsored health plans, also known as the “Cadillac Tax.” This delay was part of a year-end government funding package and changes the effective date from 2018 to 2020. While the tax was originally non-tax deductible, the December 2015 changes make it tax deductible for employers who pay it.

No regulations have been issued to date. In February and July 2015, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued notices covering a number of issues concerning the Cadillac Tax, and requested comments on the possible approaches that could ultimately be incorporated into proposed regulations.

What it is/fee duration Permanent, annual tax beginning in 2020 on high-cost employer-sponsored health coverage.
Purposes
  • Reduce tax preferred treatment of employer provided health care
  • Reduce excess health care spending by employees and employers
  • Help finance the expansion of health coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA)
Amount
  • The tax is 40% of the cost of health coverage that exceeds predetermined threshold amounts.
  • Cost of coverage includes the total contributions paid by both the employer and employees, but not cost-sharing amounts such as deductibles, coinsurance and copays when care is received.
  • For planning purposes, the thresholds for high-cost plans are currently $10,200 for individual coverage, and $27,500 for family coverage.
  • These thresholds will be updated before the tax takes effect in 2020 and indexed for inflation in future years.
  • The thresholds will also be increased:
    • If the majority of covered employees are engaged in specified high-risk professions such as law enforcement and construction, and
    • For group demographics including age and gender.
  • For pre-65 retirees and individuals in high-risk professions, the threshold amounts are currently $11,850 for individual coverage and $30,950 for family coverage. These amounts will also be indexed before the tax takes effect.
Who calculates and pays
  • Insured: Employers calculate and insurers pay
  • Self-funded: Employers calculate and “the person who administers the plan benefits” pays
  • HSAs and Archer MSAs: Employers calculate and employers pay
How a group health plan’s cost is determined
  • The tax is based on the total cost of each employee’s coverage above the threshold amount.
  • The cost includes contributions toward the cost of coverage made by employers and employees.
  • The statute states that costs of coverage will be calculated under rules similar to the rules for calculating COBRA premium.
How the tax will be paid Forms and instructions for paying the tax are not yet available.
Tax implications Based on the December 2015 changes, Cadillac Tax payments will be deductible for federal tax purposes.
Applicable types of coverage
  • Insured and self-insured group health plans (including behavioral, and prescription drug coverage)
  • Wellness programs that are group health plans (most wellness programs)
  • Health Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)
  • Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), employer and employee pre-tax contributions*
  • Health Reimbursement Accounts (HRAs)*
  • Archer Medical Savings Accounts (MSAs), all pre-tax contributions*
  • On-site medical clinics providing more than de minimis care*
  • Executive Physical Programs*
  • Pre-tax coverage for a specified disease or illness
  • Hospital indemnity or other fixed indemnity insurance
  • Federal/State/Local government-sponsored plans for its employees
  • Retiree coverage
  • Multi-employer (Taft-Hartley) plans

https://www.cigna.com/health-care-reform/cadillac-tax

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Reader says public input early is key in the Ridgewood Planning Board process

clock_cbd_theridgewoodblog

I do think public input early in the process is key. I agree current council has been scared of allowing opposition to formalize as it did with CRR and Valley. They seem to think that if you do it quick you minimize the ability of the public to create opposition groups, etc.

So I agree, make people aware and get stakeholders into the informal meetings. But I think the public comment and the entire process would be helped if it was less formal. The Planning Board public comment period is supposed to focus on whatever specific legal objections and technical objections can be raised. They tolerate kids getting up to say there will be construction and people speculating about construction workers oggoling children, but that is not really what the Planning Board hearing is about. HOWEVER, a less formal informative session format would give a perfect outlet for those kids to be heard before the Planning Board or the developers are locked into a legal process. There can be a dialogue this way.

Now legally this would have to be voluntary for the developers. BUT we could create a voluntary preliminary planning framework. Publish a description online and in the paper. Have 2 meetings at different times on different days. Allow cross talk so questions can be addressed and answered. You could even publish a summary of the meetings but agree they will not be recorded or be considered binding. Let the developer have the right to sign off on the summary before it is published to correct their own statements as needed. This will free everyone up to talk more freely.

Following this process a plan would be submitted for the formal planning board. The carrot to get developers to take the deal would be that the Planning Board would have the option to allow comment and vote on the same night ONLY IF the developers went through the preliminary voluntary process. Otherwise the Planning Board would typically allow 1-2 sessions of public comment BEFORE voting.

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Monday 530 pm street parking aside the Ridgewood coffee shop across from NJT BUS DEPOT

NJT BUS DEPOT

I wish people would take photos of parking spaces all over town on different days of the week, ordinary and holiday, and at different times to show in aggregate that parking IS AVAILABLE. A large number of photos documented at various times and days of the week would tell the story. Walking a couple of blocks is good for your health! And unless you’re going to a Hudson St. or S. Broad Street venue, you’ll walk a couple of blocks (or much more) from the garage anyway. Please VOTE NO on June 21 and get an absentee ballot if you can’t.

send them in : [email protected]   do not forget date, time

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Village of Ridgewood and the High Fees for Dog Licenses

Vicious_dog_theridgewoodblog
May 24,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, several readers in recent weeks mentioned that Ridgewood charges the highest fee for dog licenses and yet the Village of Ridgewood does not even have an animal control officer?

Some residents have suggested that the Village seems hostile towards dogs. Which is funny, because I also think a lot of people in town have dogs.
Other towns charge $9 – $13 for neutered dogs while Ridgewood charges $18 per dog , and of course the late fees are very high .

from the Village of Ridgewood website :

Dog Licenses

Dog licenses are renewed during the month of June. One and three year licenses are available starting June 1st with a valid rabies certificate.
For 1 year licenses: Rabies Certificate that expires no earlier than May 1st of the following year.
For 3 year licenses: Rabies Certificate that expires no earlier than May 1st of the third year. (Example: a 3 year license purchased in June of 2012 will need a rabies certificate valid through May 1, 2015)

Beginning in the 2013 licensing year, renewal reminders will be sent via email. An application will be available on the website or in person at the health department. Renewal applications will be mailed upon request by calling 201 670-5500 ext 503. A Late Fee of $20.00 per dog will be assessed after June 30th.

It is the dog owner’s responsibility to renew the dog license when it expires. It is also the dog owner’s responsibility to maintain their pet with a valid rabies vaccination. The health department sends out reminders as a courtesy and to inform residents of our free rabies clinic.

FORMS:
Application for New/Renewal of Dog License
Rabies Exemption Form

LAWS
Village Code Chapter 105: Click here for an index that contains links to the code provided by General Code. Be patient there is a pause while the link is locating and activating code.
NJ Statutes: NJSA 4:19-15.1 et seq (reprint)

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Ridgewood Planning Board Attorney and Planning Board Member get hit With Conflict of Interest allegations

Valleywood_theridgewoodblog
May 23,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood blog has conducted an investigation of series of conflict of interest changes surrounding the “Whispering Woods ” hearings .Initially Valley’s attorney Jonathan Drill challenged planning board member Wendy Dockray for being part of the “campaign team” of then Village Council Candidate Jeff Voigt.

In a letter to Planning Board Chairmen Charles Nalbantian Drill asked that Wendy Dockray recuse herself or the planning board should disqualify her.

Drill referenced a letter posted on the Ridgewood blog in which Jeff Voigt expressed both skepticism and opposition to the Valley Settlement.  Drill used Jeff’s own words against him by quoting him saying a board member should recuse if “even a whiff of a conflict of interest” .
Kevin Mattessich ,Wendy Dockray’s attorney fired back using Mr.Drill’s arguments against him ,challenging Planning Board attorney Gail Price and her husband Richard Brooks who was at the time running for Village Council , Mattessich went further saying not only Price but Price’s law firm should recuse and board should retain independent council. Observers speculate if applied consistently the entire “Valley Expansion” process  can be viewed as tainted and undermined .
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The Kardashians are a bigger threat to our kids than porn

Kardashians

By Nikki Goldstein, News.com.au

May 23, 2016 | 12:23pm

Porn. We are a society that consumes so much of it, while we also demonize it and blame it for our sexual problems. But is the industry really to blame?

As a sexologist, I have seen firsthand how porn can be destructive. From men who create false intimate relationships with the women on the screen, to others who expect their partners to perform like porn stars and some who suffer from erectile dysfunction and performance anxiety when comparing themselves to the men on these films.

Some woman feel inadequate sexually, often questioning why they can’t have an orgasm or enjoy anal sex like porn stars. Many measure good sex based on their ability to perform and please a man (a common scenario in adult films).

We are also now seeing the effects on today’s youth with porn being accessed at an earlier age and these actors being seen as role models. Young teens think this is what real sex looks like and the issues we are seeing in adults are becoming more prevalent in a younger generation.

https://nypost.com/2016/05/23/the-kardashians-are-a-bigger-threat-to-our-kids-than-porn/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=NYPFacebook&utm_medium=SocialFlow

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How To Get Hired Right Out of College With The Right Internship

scott garrett and interns

Rep. Scott Garrett with his DC interns

May 23,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Improving economic conditions have finally caught up to millennials, providing them with a brighter job market, according to the United States Department of Labor.

But a recent Federal Reserve Bank of New York report says the devil is in the details. Not all new college graduates are doing equally well. The kind of degree they earned is an enormous factor in the job hunt.

“There’s no question that your field of study significantly alters your prospects, but even having chosen the right field is no guarantee,” says Matt Stewart, an entrepreneur and co-founder of College Works Painting (www.collegeworks.com), an internship program that provides practical business experience for college students.

“How you approach your field, such as engagement at an internship, can boost your professional prospects immensely.” 

For example, interns with College Works Painting operate their own house-painting business with hands-on guidance from mentors. They learn valuable leadership skills by functioning as leaders in a business.

“Unemployment for our alumni has remained at less than 4 percent, including when youth unemployment exceeded 16 percent a few years ago,” Stewart says. “This kind of challenging yet fun student experience helps ensure a good career for college graduates right out of the gate.”

He offers tips about what students should look for in an internship so they can gain the professional experience they need to land a job after graduation.

• Know what you will actually be doing.  While simply being in a company’s culture has value, many businesses assign students to their lowest-level work. Grunt work, to some extent, is a fact of life in most professions. But that kind of work won’t propel a student’s career. Consider an internship that gives you real responsibility and provides experiences that will definitely come in handy in your future career.
• Consider a company’s internship recognition. Don’t accept an internship with just any organization. Think about the business awards the company has won, the type of articles that have been written about the company, and how the company contributes to their industry and community. If you can, get information on how other former interns fared.
• For any student, real experience is crucial. Whether you’re an artist, athlete, musician, theater major, English student, a STEM-field student, or a business major or future entrepreneur, getting experience often comes with a heavy price. This includes the loss of personal or family finances. Look for opportunities that provide guidance while allowing you to apply skills to real-life challenges such as budgeting, marketing, and managing employees. These are transferable skills that apply to any industry.

“Regardless of how the economy is doing, you’ll want to put forth your best effort,” Stewart says. “As we’ve seen, the market can take a nosedive at any time.”

About Matt Stewart

Matt Stewart is co-founder of College Works Painting (collegeworks.com), which provides business experience for thousands of college students each year. The award-winning program also offers high-quality house-painting services for homeowners.

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In Delran, Facebook political post brings a cop’s call

facebook-lg1

Lucy Horton says she could scarcely believe her ears. Hours after she had called Delran’s mayor Ken Paris “unprofessional and unethical” on her Facebook page, a township police sergeant was on the phone, “informing me that if I didn’t take the Facebook post down, the mayor would be pressing harassment charges.” David O’Reilly,  https://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/20160521_In_Delran__Facebook_post_brings_a_cop_s_call.html

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Reader says The recent election has shown that two thirds of the electorate favor more moderate development projects

3 amigos in action Ridgewood NJ

Ridgewood is where it is because our Council has been governing for the benefit of the few and not for the benefit of the many. The tax payers have been fed a steady diet of “take it or leave it”, oversized initiatives with no option to compromise. Why? Because the Council majority has been answering to Valley and the developer special interest groups. If Valley Hospital could have moved off of its completely unreasonable expansion plan 10 years ago, they’d be finished with their construction by now and we’d have a more modern hospital. Whose fault is that? Same goes for the CBD – not a single person who thinks 35 units per acre is too dense has ever advocated for vacant car dealerships. That is the rhetoric of the now-vanquished Ron Simoncini and his “Truth About Ridgewood.” The recent election has shown that two thirds of the electorate favor more moderate development projects. It’s time to undo what the last Council has put in place and start over. Smaller hospital, smaller garage, smaller apartments.

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Reader says Ridgewood is lacking the expertise in planning and far too influenced by the local developer and the big CBD landowners to get it right with out outside expertise

clock_cbd_theridgewoodblog

Towns facing these dilemmas have turned to professional planning groups and we need to do the same. One was outlined in the auditions at BF for the multi-family studies the village did. The professional planners from BFJ Planning https://www.bfjplanning.com/ came and talked about how they worked with places like Bedford, NY as they talk about here:https://youtu.be/FEfkeQQJn4I?t=2h5m20s

Our planner is outgunned for the jump, he’s part time, has limited experience and has not seen the scale of assault that this village is under. We need to redirect our spend in planning to real pros who do this work at scale, have far broader experiences and deeper expertise. The answer to the questions is not the same old pap that Al and Paul and others use when they site the 1967 study. The future is coming, our village is lacking the expertise in planning and far too influenced by the local developer and the big CBD landowners to get it right with out outside expertise.

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Black Bear Spotted on Grove Street in Ridgewood

dont-feed-the-bears

May 23,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Police are reporting that a Black Bear was spotted eating garbage from the garbage can of a Grove Street residence along the PSE&G right of way on the Glen Rock border at 3:30pm. The bear then disappeared into the wooded area that backs up to the Ridgewood sewage treatment plant.

Black bears by nature tend to be wary of people. However, if you encounter a black bear in your neighborhood or outdoors while hiking or camping, follow these common-sense safety tips.

Do not feed bears! Never feed or approach a bear!

Remain calm if you encounter a bear. Do not run from it.

Make the bear aware of your presence by speaking in an assertive voice, singing, clapping your hands, or making other noises.

Make sure the bear has an escape route.

If a bear enters your home, provide it with an escape route by propping all doors open.

Avoid direct eye contact, which may be perceived by a bear as a challenge. Never run from a bear. Instead, slowly back away.

To scare the bear away, make loud noises by yelling, banging pots and pans or using an airhorn. Make yourself look as big as possible by waving your arms. If you are with someone else, stand close together with your arms raised above your head.

The bear may utter a series of huffs, make popping jaw sounds by snapping its jaws and swat the ground. These are warning signs that you are too close. Slowly back away, avoid direct eye contact and do not run.

If a bear stands on its hind legs or moves closer, it may be trying to get a better view or detect scents in the air. It is usually not a threatening behavior.

Black bears will sometimes “bluff charge” when cornered, threatened or attempting to steal food. Stand your ground, avoid direct eye contact, then slowly back away and do not run.

If the bear does not leave, move to a secure area.

Black bear attacks are extremely rare. If a black bear does attack, fight back!

If you observe the bear please call the Ridgewood Police 201-652-3900.

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Psychologist: ‘Authoritative Parenting’ is Best for Children

Little_Rascals

Is it time for parents to return to a position of loving but firm authority figures?
Annie Holmquist | April 14, 2016

Several months ago, Dr. Leonard Sax made headlines when he proposed that the lack of discipline we see in America today is simply the surface symptom of a greater problem: the decline of parental authority.

Dr. Sax’s theories were recently underscored by psychologist Lisa Damour in a New York Times piece on the benefits of family dinner time. Although the benefits of family dinners are regularly touted, Ms. Damour wonders how they produce such positive effects when a family often sits down exhausted to a silent and non-interactive meal together. Her answer is thought-provoking:

“Reflecting on the families I’ve worked with in my practice, I’ve come to suspect that regular meals serve as an easily measured proxy for one of the longest-standing and sturdiest determinants of adolescent well-being: authoritative parenting.

In the early 1970s, the psychologist Diana Baumrind identified two essential components of parenting: structure and warmth. Authoritative parents bring both. They hold high standards for behavior while being lovingly engaged with their children. Decades of research have documented that teenagers raised by authoritative parents are the ones most likely to do well at school, enjoy abundant psychological health and stay out of trouble. In contrast, adolescents with authoritarian parents (high on structure, low on warmth), indulgent parents (low on structure, high on warmth) or neglectful parents (low on both) don’t fare nearly so well.

https://www.intellectualtakeout.org/blog/psychologist-authoritative-parenting-best-children

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Nationwide Online shopping trend forces more brick and Mortar Stores to Close

Ridgewood-CBD_goingonutof-business_theridgewoodblog
May 22,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, as far back as October 2011 in an article ,”Understanding the Shift to Online Shopping” Marcia Kaplan wrote, “Defying the general economic gloom, ecommerce sales have registered seven consecutive quarters of year-over-year revenue gains since Q4 2009, with some in double digits. The last three quarters (Q4 2010 through Q2 2011) showed gains of 11, 12, and 14 percent respectively, the best performances since Q2 of 2008, according to research firm comScore.

Figures calculated by the U.S. Department of Commerce are more generous, showing an increase of 17.2 percent for Q2 2011 over Q2 2010. In contrast, total retail sales — stores and online — for Q2 2011 increased only 8.4 percent over the same quarter in 2010. Ecommerce accounted for 4.2 percent of total retail sales in Q2 of 2011, according to the Department of Commerce.” https://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/3087-Understanding-the-Shift-to-Online-Shopping

The WSJ in August  2015 said , “U.S. retailers are facing a steep and persistent drop in store traffic, which is weighing on sales and prompting chains to slow store openings as shoppers make more of their purchases online.”

Now it seems the day of reckoning is upon us , despite calls for more parking to save retails in the CBD in Ridgewood ,the nationwide trend of shoppers moving online has continued to accelerate.

May 2016 headlines read like a retail obituary :

Scoop Succumbs to Market Forces; All Stores Closing

Sports Authority to Sell Off Assets, May Be Closing All 450 Stores

Hugo Boss Considers Closing Some Stores as Earnings Plummet

The Gap Is Closing a Bunch of Old Navy Stores

Aeropostale Store Closings 2016: Retailer Files For Chapter 11

The reality is its going to take far more than parking to fully revitalize the CBD in Ridgewood .
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Eva’s Village Receives $20,000 Mission Support from Ridgewood West Side Presbyterian Church

West_Side_Presbyterian-_Church_theridgewoodblog

May 21, 2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Eva’s Village a Paterson, NJ, anti-poverty, nonprofit organization, partners with local religious organizations to raise funds for its twenty integrated programs to assist those in need.

Ridgewood NJ,  Eva’s Village was one of five mission partners chosen to receive a gift of over $20,000 from the West Side Presbyterian Church’s “10 x 10” Lenten Campaign. Nancy Simpson, Chair of Missions and Social Concerns at the Ridgewood church, explained that partners were selected because of their work with the homeless. Covenant House NJ, Family Promise of Bergen County, Youth Self Development, Paterson, & Pwojé Espwa Sud Orphanage, Haiti, were also chosen as mission partners. “These are all places where West Siders have had hands-on experiences helping and feeding people,” Ms. Simpson noted.

“West Side Presbyterian’s generous donation will have a tremendous impact on the hundreds of men, women and children we serve each day,” noted Marie Reger, Executive Director of Eva’s Village. In addition to supporting the Community Kitchen, the donation will support Eva’s 20 Food & Shelter, Medical & Recovery, and Education & Training programs. “We are also grateful to members of the congregation who volunteer regularly in our Community Kitchen,” Ms. Reger added. West Side Presbyterian’s congregation has supported Eva’s Village for more than two decades and has increased their commitment as donors and volunteers over the past several years.

Each mission partner was invited to speak to the congregation during the campaign. An Eva’s Village alumnus described how the food, shelter medical and recovery programs at Eva’s helped him find a path to recovery and a new life.

The congregation exceeded its goal, collecting more than $100,000 during the 40 days of Lent, between Ash Wednesday (February 10) and Easter (March 27). The amount represents 10% of the church’s income and re-establishes its tradition of tithing to serve those in need. Named “10 x 10,” the drive celebrates the 10-year anniversary of West Side’s sanctuary, rebuilt after a fire in 2002. Congregants were encouraged to participate by “tithing” – donating 10% of their income to the campaign. Children were encouraged to collect change to help meet the goal.

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Ridgewood Central District Parking Cottage place 10.58 am Saturday May 21st, 2016

Cottage place 10

I wish people would take photos of parking spaces all over town on different days of the week, ordinary and holiday, and at different times to show in aggregate that parking IS AVAILABLE. A large number of photos documented at various times and days of the week would tell the story. Walking a couple of blocks is good for your health! And unless you’re going to a Hudson St. or S. Broad Street venue, you’ll walk a couple of blocks (or much more) from the garage anyway. Please VOTE NO on June 21 and get an absentee ballot if you can’t.

send them in : [email protected]   do not for get date, time