Tag: Bergen County

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United Water replacing water meters in Bergen County to allow remote reading of data

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United Water replacing water meters in Bergen County to allow remote reading of data

FEBRUARY 19, 2015    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY JAMES M. O’NEILL
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

United Water has begun replacing customers’ aging water meters with models that can be read remotely and provide water-use data to quickly pinpoint leaks. The project will take several years.

The new meters have sensors that can communicate over a long-range radio network and send frequent updates on the flow of water into a customer’s residence or building. That data can help United Water identify a sudden and sustained spike in water use for a particular customer and let them know they might have a leak on their property, said Steven Goudsmith, a United Water spokesman.

With the old meters, customers might have no idea for weeks that they have a leak until their monthly water bill arrives, Goudsmith said.

United Water, a subsidiary of the French for-profit water giant Suez, provides drinking water to about 200,000 accounts in Bergen and Hudson counties, servicing about 800,000 people.

“The new meters will also provide more convenience for our customers since you won’t have to stay home and wait for someone to come and read the meter,” said Goudsmith. “It reduces the concerns of some seniors with security issues and people getting into their homes by posing as utility personnel.”

Goudsmith did not have an estimated cost for the new meters, because they will be installed over many years.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/business/technology/united-water-replacing-all-older-meters-1.1274309

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GOP hopefuls line up for key Bergen freeholder elections

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GOP hopefuls line up for key Bergen freeholder elections

FEBRUARY 11, 2015    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

Four Republicans have declared an interest in running for three seats on the Bergen County Freeholder Board — and potential majority control of the board — this year.

Former Freeholder John Mitchell of Cliffside Park and Ramsey Councilman Ken Tyburczy are unopposed for Republican party line endorsements in the June primaries for the two three-year terms up for election.

They will take aim at seats now held by Democrats Tracy Zur of Franklin Lakes and Steve Tanelli of North Arlington, who are running for reelection.

Also, Dierdre Paul of Englewood and Daisy Ortiz-Berger of River Edge are vying for the party line in hopes of serving out the one year left in the term of James Tedesco, a Democrat, who left the board to become county executive.

Democrats currently hold a 5-2 majority on the board.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/republicans-eye-freeholder-seats-1.1268760

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Biz bankruptcies decline in Bergen and Passaic counties

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Biz bankruptcies decline in Bergen and Passaic counties

JANUARY 29, 2015    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY HUGH R. MORLEY
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

* Business filings in Bergen, Passaic at lowest since 2007

A decline in the number of business bankruptcies in Bergen and Passaic counties from 2013 to 2014 has left New Jersey with its lowest level of business bankruptcy since the recession started at the end of 2007, federal figures show.

Business bankruptcies fell by 13 percent in Bergen and 30 percent in Passaic, according to figures released by the U.S. District Bankruptcy Court in New Jersey. Figures for the state show the business bankruptcy level as a whole nearly the same in 2014 as it was the previous year.

Figures for the state and the two counties now show there were fewer bankruptcies in 2014 than at any time since 2007, the year the recession began in December.

The number of consumer bankruptcies provides a less positive picture, however. Although Bergen, Passaic and New Jersey as a whole saw a fall in the number of consumer bankruptcies, they remain well above the 2007 figure.

Bankruptcy attorneys differed in their assessment of what the data say about the economy, and what is driving the figures.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/business/bankruptcies-plummet-1.1260782

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Where are the lowest property taxes in Bergen County?

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Where are the lowest property taxes in Bergen County?

BY MICHAEL SHETLER
Real Estate Agent with Keller Williams Village Square Realty 0569304

January 07, 2015 04:59 AM

Bergen County property tax info released for 2014-15.

The state of New Jersey has just released tax rates for every municipality in the state. Before you look at the chart below, can you guess which Bergen County towns have the highest and lowest property taxes?

Ok, now you can look. If you guessed “Paramus” has the lowest, you would be partially right. While it’s eighth on the list, it qualifies as the lowest taxed borough with affordable home prices. Alpine, Saddle River, Englewood Cliffs, Rockleigh, Edgewater and Franklin Lakes all have an average list price above $1 million. (Teterboro essentially has no single family homes.) In Paramus, the average list is in the $600k range.

On the other end of the spectrum with an effective tax rate more than five times higher than Alpine’s isBogota. The general tax rate in Bogota is 3.630 and and its effective tax rate is 3.222.

What’s the difference between the two rates?

The general tax rate doesn’t take into account that your home’s assessed value is not equal to its market value. If your tax rate is high but your assessed value ratio is low, your taxes aren’t as high as you think they are – you’re not being taxed on the full value of your home!

So if you’re comparing tax rates between towns, use the effective tax rate.

The equalization ratio in the chart is simply an average of the area’s assessed value divided by the market value. The general tax rate is multiplied by the equalization ratio to get the effective tax rate. (Also see this video on comparing tax rates.)

For tax rate info on other counties in New Jersey, click here.

If you’re thinking of buying in Bergen County, call me for a consultation. I’ll give you an overview on how taxes and other factors such as quality of schools, commuting options and population density should figure into your buying decision.

Michael Shetler
Keller Williams Realty
201-421-0506 cell
201-445-4300 office

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Tedesco moves to merge Bergen County Police with Sheriff’s Office

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Tedesco moves to merge Bergen County Police with Sheriff’s Office

January 1, 2015, 12:43 PM    Last updated: Thursday, January 1, 2015, 2:11 PM
By JOHN C. ENSSLIN
staff writer |
The Record

In one of his first acts after being sworn in early Thursday, Bergen County Executive James Tedesco signed an agreement that lays the groundwork to combine the County Police into the Sheriff’s Office.

The agreement — subject to approval by the freeholders — would fold the 103-member County Police force as a bureau within the Sheriff’s office.

It also sets an eventual goal of reducing the County Police through attrition and without layoffs to a core group of 49 sworn officers under the Sheriff’s command.

The 31-page memo, co-signed by Sheriff Michael Saudino and County Prosecutor John Molinelli, marks a significant turning point after more than five years of conflicting studies and intense political debate over how to consolidate county law enforcement.

“I believe this is the right thing to do for the people of Bergen County,” Tedesco said moments after signing the document at a ceremony in the freeholder caucus room.

Tedesco, a former Democratic freeholder, campaigned hard for the consolidation, arguing that it will save taxpayers between $90 million to $200 million over the next 25 years.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/tedesco-moves-to-merge-bergen-county-police-with-sheriff-s-office-1.1184663

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Tedesco ready for quick changes in Bergen County

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Tedesco ready for quick changes in Bergen County

DECEMBER 29, 2014, 9:57 PM    LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2014, 5:35 AM
BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

From the moment James Tedesco raises his hand in the early hours of Thursday morning to take the oath of office as Bergen County executive, the Paramus Democrat will confront a series of decisions that could go a long way toward defining his administration over the next four years.

Many of the big issues that were debated during Tedesco’s campaign — consolidation of county law enforcement, the future of Bergen Regional Medical Center and the 2015 county budget — will present a quick sequence of choices in the first 100 days of his administration.

Other issues, including construction of an access road to a new public works facility in Paramus and his pledge to sit in on freeholder meetings, will help set the tone of his tenure. He has promised a more cooperative style that will be open to negotiated compromise.

Here is a quick look at what to watch for in the months ahead:

Law enforcement: consolidation or bust?

The hottest-button issue in county government over the last five years is due for a reckoning.

Tedesco — who pushed hard for combining the Bergen County Police force with the Sheriff’s Office — has made this effort one of the top priorities of his first 100 days.

For the last several months, a law enforcement task force appointed by the Democratic freeholder majority has been studying how to carry out what Democrats call “a realignment” of the two departments into one mega-agency.

Those efforts picked up steam after Tedesco’s upset victory on Nov. 4 over one-term Republican incumbent Kathleen Donovan.

Donovan opposed combining the departments, disputing the Democrats’ claim that it would save taxpayers $90 million to $200 million over the next 25 years through attrition, not layoffs.

So the stage is set for Tedesco to begin implementing that plan. One thing to watch for, however, is the reaction of the union representing county police officers. Officers for PBA Local 49 say that “realignment” is just another word for “merger.”

If so, they contend, a “poison pill” in their existing contract will kick in, requiring that their members be paid raises totaling about $1 million per year. The freeholders say their plan is not a merger, but rather a realignment that keeps the county police force intact while moving it under the command of the sheriff.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/analysis-tedesco-ready-for-quick-changes-in-bergen-county-1.1183009

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MITCHELL READY FOR FRESH BERGEN FREEHOLDER BID

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file photo Freeholder tells Ridgewood group to develop plan to save Schedler House

MITCHELL READY FOR FRESH BERGEN FREEHOLDER BID

DECEMBER 18, 2014

Meeting up with Mitchell at the Bergen County Young Republican meeting in Saddle Brook this week, he confirmed to me that he is now officially a candidate to return to the body he left in 2014.

“Here’s my speech, you can quote me, ‘I am running for freeholder,’” said Mitchell, who won a convincing victory on a ticket headed by Kathe Donovan and Mike Saudino in 2010, but was defeated by a mere 68 votes in 2013 by now County Executive-elect Jim Tedesco.

Mitchell, by far the hardest campaigner I have personally seen in action, will be a force to be reckoned with. Most expect him to enter the convention as one of the favorites, if it even gets that far.

Most are expecting an announcement by Ramsey Councilman Ken Tyburczy in the coming days that he is also running. The field appears to be clearing for the first time in recent memory for the two candidates to enter the general election unscathed.  While some names are being mentioned for the third seat (the unexpired term of Tedesco), none of the four candidates who entered the freeholder race last year – nominees Bernadette Walsh and Bob Avery, as well as Brian Fitzhenry and Dierdre Paul – seem likely to run at this point according to those I speak with around the county.

For the general election, Mitchell has made significant inroads in two areas that Republicans have struggled with. Hailing from overwhelmingly Democratic Cliffside Park, Mitchell shows relative strength in the southeastern Democratic bastion of the county. He has also made strong inroads with the growing Korean community through years of sincere outreach.

https://savejersey.com/2014/12/john-mitchell-freeholder-bergen-county/

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Another Company looks to leave High Tax Bergen County

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Another Company looks to leave High Tax Bergen County 

Mercedes-Benz reportedly weighing move to Atlanta from Montvale

DECEMBER 16, 2014    LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014, 10:24 PM
BY LINDA MOSS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

The German luxury automaker Mercedes-Benz is looking to move its 1,000-employee North American headquarters from Montvale to Atlanta, several sources said Tuesday.

The Atlanta Business Chronicle first reported on Tuesday that Mercedes-Benz USA is considering the move. A company spokesman declined to comment on the report, but several sources told The Record that Mercedes-Benz was indeed considering leaving Bergen County. One source within the company told The Record that an announcement on a move may come in January, at a company reception.

“As a matter of policy, the company does not comment on rumors or speculation,” said Mercedes-Benz spokesman Rob Moran.

If the reports are accurate, Mercedes-Benz would be the latest in a string of major companies to move their corporate headquarters from Bergen County to the South. The car-rental company Hertz moved from Park Ridge to south Florida, and the BubbleWrap maker Sealed Air is moving from Elmwood Park to Charlotte, N.C., both with the help of tax incentives from those states.

Montvale would be losing its second-largest private employer, behind the accounting giant KPMG, according to the Bergen County Economic Development Corp. Mercedes-Benz is among the top 10 corporate employers in the county and paid $916,700 in local taxes on its properties this year, according to the borough’s website.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/business/mercedes-benz-reportedly-weighing-move-to-atlanta-from-montvale-1.1157006

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Outside Money and High-placed friends aided Bergen County Democrats

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Outside Money and High-placed friends aided Bergen County Democrats

NOVEMBER 8, 2014, 4:47 PM    LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2014, 12:01 AM
BY CHARLES STILE
RECORD COLUMNIST |
THE RECORD

A trio of Democrats launched a fierce and costly courtship of Bergen County Democratic Chairman Lou Stellato, whose blessing could make or break their bids to become the next New Jersey governor three years from now.

They arrived in Bergen County eager to demonstrate the depth of their loyalty. They brought their checkbooks. They brought their donors and operatives. And one brought an expensive “micro-targeting” guru to pinpoint Democratic votes.

Phillip Murphy is a former Goldman Sachs executive and a former U.S. ambassador to Germany.

Together they invested nearly $160,000 in Democrat James Tedesco’s defeat of Republican County Executive Kathleen Donovan on Tuesday and the reelection of Freeholders David Ganz and Joan Voss. The money represented nearly 18 percent of the Democratic campaign, state campaign finance records show.

But money told only part of the |story.

Senate President Stephen Sweeney, an officer of a South Jersey ironworkers local, used his influence to steer ironworker money into the state and helped prevent Donovan’s team from snapping up support from other trade unions.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/stile-high-placed-friends-aided-bergen-county-democrats-1.1129627

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Bergen County Executive-elect James Tedesco vows to push ahead on police merger

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Bergen County Executive-elect James Tedesco vows to push ahead on police merger

NOVEMBER 5, 2014, 11:48 PM    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2014, 12:06 AM
BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN AND JEAN RIMBACH
STAFF WRITERS |
THE RECORD

A day after his come-from-behind victory in the race for Bergen County executive, James Tedesco signaled he will follow through on one of his main campaign pledges: merging the Bergen County Police into the Sheriff’s Office.

At a freeholder work session Wednesday, Tedesco asked the board’s attorney to make a formal request that the county voluntarily drop the lawsuit that County Executive Kathleen Donovan filed against the freeholders seeking to block the merger plan.

Tedesco, a Democrat, defeated Donovan, the Republican incumbent, in a decisive 54 to 46 percent vote on Tuesday.

Tedesco, who will take office in January, has said he will make the consolidation of the two departments one of his top priorities during the first 100 days of his administration.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/bergen-county-executive-elect-james-tedesco-vows-to-push-ahead-on-police-merger-1.1127187

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Tedesco Wins Bergen on promises of police-sheriff consolidation

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Tedesco Wins Bergen on promises of police-sheriff consolidation
November 5,2014
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ , While most would admit that taxes are the prime issue , we have for some time questioned the viability of Bergen County . The ugly reality is Bergen is a former shadow of itself . The county depended for years on Wall Street paying extremely high salaries giving the county the luxury of a tax at will mentality ,but since 2008 when massive layoffs hit the street and employment declined in finance that tax at will party came to an end .  Unfortunately the promises made during that period have not . The the ever increasing cost of doing business in Bergen has driven out not only taxpayers  but employers to seek other arrangements another words leave . Leaving the county with a declining tax base but increasing costs for services.

Consolidation of services has been pushed by both parties as a way to save money . Getting off to a fast start with cost cutting Donovan went astray and erred in not realizing that the county government in Bergen is mostly redundant and is itself the cost problem . Donovan pushed for consolidation into a lager county pie which seemed to feed the image of a county power grab , but in Bergen with so many towns having so much of everything it was doomed to fail .

The most obvious point of contention was her attempts to thwart the Police Merger, According to PolitickerNJ ,”Donovan has struggled with the freeholder board over plans to merge the Bergen County Police Department and the county’s Sheriff”s Office. Donovan is opposed to the plan, while the majority of the freeholder board, including Tedesco, now controlled by the Democrats by a 5-2 veto-proof margin, supports the move. The final decision depends on the outcome of ongoing legal battles related to the merger proposal.

Donovan defended her stance on the county police merger issue for both financial and political reasons.

“It’s bogus. I think police departments should merge, but you don’t put a politician in charge of a quasi-military operation,” Donovan told PolitickerNJ.com is response to Tedesco’s comments. “There is no saving of money, because [if the merger took place] we will have to hire non-police people to do things that the police now do.”
https://politickernj.com/2014/03/bergen-county-execs-race-donovan-swipes-at-tedesco-calls-county-police-merger-issue-bogus/

Donovan’s attempts to justify her position fell on deaf ears for over taxed over regulated Bergen residents ( https://theridgewoodblog.net/reader-says-donovans-opposition-to-police-merger-is-the-problem/ ),the feeling being the real story was the ticket income from the Bergen County Police (https://theridgewoodblog.net/county-police-merger-off-due-to-ticket-revenue-from-bergen-county-police/ )

On the other hand , ” Tedesco promises the police-sheriff consolidation will be one of his top priorities during his first 100 days in office. We remain skeptical of the promised savings, but leadership is about taking risk. And if the merger is a bad idea, Tedesco will fully own it.

Promoting smart consolidations and shared services has to be part of the county executive’s mission. So should be addressing alarming drug use – particularly heroin – in the county.”
https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-editorials/tedesco-for-executive-1.1124795

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10 Exciting Races to Watch in Bergen County

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Kathe Donovan with the troops at the BCRO

10 Exciting Races to Watch in Bergen County
Nov. 03 Bergen County, Election 2014, North Jersey no comments
By Matthew Gilson | The Save Jersey Blog

Matt Rooney already gave you ten New Jersey races to watch statewide on Tuesday night, Save Jerseyans.

Without further ado, here are ten worth closely tracking in Bergen County alone, starting with the Garden State’s single most consequential 2014 contest:

1.) County Executive/Freeholder
Nothing else comes close with control of the most powerful office the most county at stake. Incumbent Kathe Donovan has seen the gap between herself and Freeholder Jim Tedesco close in recent weeks and the race may be too close to call. The under card is the battle to take out incumbent freeholder Democrats David Ganz and Joan Voss waged by Republicans Bernadette Walsh and Bob Avery.

2.) Can Scott Garrett win Bergen?
Despite a mini-scare, it appears that Roy has definitely Cho-ked this race away. However, it still remains to be seen whether Garrett will carry the Bergen portion of the district. If he does, it may put this race out of play for 2016 and return Roy Cho to trying on new empty suits.

3.) North Arlington
A swing town and southernmost in the county, Save Jersey previewed this race with an interview with Councilman Dan Pronti who is seeking re-election. The town will prove critical to running up numbers for Kathe Donovan in her south Bergen base, and a win by Council Bianchi over Mayor Massa along with his running mates would put to end eight years of Democratic rule.

4.) Paramus
As important as North Arlington and the south is to Donovan, Tedesco will need to run up numbers in the town he formerly served as mayor to have a shot at what would still be considered an upset. A popular incumbent Democratic mayor headlines the ticket but the race is a battle right to the end.

https://savejersey.com/2014/11/election-bergen-county-new-jersey-results/

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2 years after Sandy hit, some victims in Bergen County are still waiting for relief

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2 years after Sandy hit, some victims in Bergen County are still waiting for relief

OCTOBER 29, 2014    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014, 7:29 AM
BY AARON MORRISON
STAFF WRITER | 
THE RECORD

Volunteer Jessica Martinez being trained by Mike Stimson of Habitat for Humanity at a Little Ferry home damaged by Superstorm Sandy.

Of all the money dispersed to homeowners and renters whose lives were upended by Superstorm Sandy two years ago today, not a penny of it has helped rid Donna Mojica of the mold that has festered around her water-damaged trailer home.

Sick of looking at the mold as it crept up the walls of her kitchen and bedroom, the Moonachie resident took a paintbrush to the white- and black-speckled spores.

The Mojicas aren’t confident they will ever receive the thousands of dollars needed for mold remediation, despite the assistance of a case manager helping them navigate various applications for aid grants.

So far, the family has received only about $600 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to replace an awning on the trailer and two months of rental assistance, a welcome reprieve that ends next month. Aside from the paint, nothing has been done about the Mojicas’ mold problem in two years.

“How long am I going to have to breathe this in before I get sick?” said Donna Mojica, who, along with her husband, Adam, reflects a weariness among some storm victims around the state who say aid programs have been inequitably administered and leave some feeling underserved after the worst weather-related disaster of its kind on record.

The storm, which began as the largest hurricane on record in the Atlantic Ocean and devastated the Caribbean, the East Coast and parts of Canada, made landfall as a powerful rain and wind event in New Jersey on Oct. 29, 2012. It killed 37 people statewide, including one person in Bergen County, where 5,000 people were evacuated from the low-lying towns of Little Ferry and Moonachie. Flooding caused by a 10-foot storm surge overwhelmed the nearby Meadowlands’ flood control systems, and municipal pump stations were inadequate to sweep water back into the Hackensack River.

Despite more than $1 billion allocated to victims in the form of relocation, rebuilding and other supplemental grant funds, according to the Christie administration, a new Monmouth University poll finds that less than a third of victims in the state feel recovery efforts have focused on them.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/2-years-of-frustration-1.1120653#sthash.1BzJpzEC.dpuf

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Hudson County Democrat Machine looks to push Cho in Bergen County

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file photo Boyd Loving Hudson County Democrat Machine in Ridgewood

Hudson County Democrat Machine looks to push Cho in Bergen County 

Ridgewood Nj, In the latest attempt by the Hudson County Democratic Machine to take over Bergen County , two of Hudson County’s top Democrats are looking to move into Bergen and push Roy Cho .

These are the same forces pushing for over development , higher taxes , and more control of our schools to Washington DC.

CD5 race: Prieto, Sires: Hudson Dems ready to put ‘bodies on the ground’ for Cho

JERSEY CITY – Two of Hudson County’s most prominent Democrats looked north at fellow Democrat Roy Cho’s effort in the Fifth Congressional District race, then offered Election Day help in a traditional Hudson way. (Bonamo/PolitickerNJ)

https://politickernj.com/2014/10/cd-5-race-prieto-sires-hudson-dems-ready-to-put-bodies-on-the-ground-for-cho/

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Freeholder candidate has roots that run deep in Bergen County

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Bernadette Walsh campaigning with Congressmen Scott Garrett

Freeholder candidate has roots that run deep in Bergen County

SEPTEMBER 28, 2014, 3:20 PM    LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2014, 3:34 PM
BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD

To understand Bernadette Walsh, one of two Republican candidates for Bergen County freeholder, it helps to know the story of the “bamboo man.”

That’s the nickname her late father, James Coghlan, picked up in the 1960s when he and his wife, Mary, cultivated bamboo as part of their greenhouse nursery business in Upper Saddle River.

They grew and sold bamboo to people like the philanthropist Doris Duke and to places like the now defunct Jungle Habitat in West Milford and the Polynesian exhibition at the 1964 World’s Fair in Flushing Queens.

James Coghlan wrote a book in 1965 called “The Story of Bamboo.” The couple even made an appearance on “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson.

Walsh was a small child when her parents closed the nursery to instead run a real estate and appraisal business near the train station in Ramsey for 25 years.

But their daughter recalled that time while talking about what she considers her proudest accomplishment in her four years as a Ridgewood councilwoman.

The self-described “tree hugger” helped revive the borough’s Shade Tree Commission, which had been dormant for many years. After Hurricanes Irene and Sandy toppled about 500 trees in town, Walsh said, people felt a need to be planting trees again.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/freeholder-candidate-has-roots-that-run-deep-in-bergen-county-1.1097931#sthash.FM1Dd9Np.dpuf