MAY 28, 2015 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2015, 3:53 PM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
The local budget season came to an end in Ridgewood with the formal adoption of a $47 million spending plan on Wednesday night.
The budget, which was passed by a 3-2 vote, is primarily funded by a $33 million tax levy – $31 million for municipal purposes and another $2 million for the public library. The municipal portion of a Ridgewood resident’s tax bill will by increase 1.2 percent, or $46.12 on a home assessed at the village average of $690,062.
The municipal budget has significant investments in services and people, said Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld, including revitalization of the Building Department, establishment of Human Resources, growth in technology, reaccreditation of the Ridgewood Police Department and enhanced support for the community center. Improvements in parking include the hiring of a chief financial officer who doubles as the parking utility director and implementation of ParkMobile and other strategies to minimize the handling of quarters, the village manager said.
The budget also comes with some risk as the village currently has $7.1 million in unfunded liability payments and utilized one-time revenues in 2015, such as the $800,000 reimbursement received from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). There are also some expenses, such as legal fees for the Planning Board and police contract negotiations as well as maintenance of the village’s aging infrastructure, which could exceed the amount set aside in their respective lines.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/spending-plan-gets-green-light-1.1344552
