Ridgewood municipal budget introduced with no increase in taxes
APRIL 24, 2014 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2014, 3:27 PM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
Following a healthy debate this week, the Ridgewood Council moved forward with a 2014 municipal spending plan that carries a zero percent average tax increase for all village property owners.
The $46.2 million budget was introduced by 3-2 vote Wednesday night and will be up for formal adoption at a May 28 Village Council meeting. If the plan is adopted, the municipal portion of the Ridgewood tax bill would total $3,959 – a sum based on the village’s average assessed home value of $688,358.
According to Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld, the 2014 average tax bill is $5 less than the amount presented with last year’s budget. The 2013 municipal spending plan also offered a zero percent tax increase over the previous year.
Council members pushed forward the flat taxes plan after weighing it against a separate version that called for a 1 percent tax increase, or roughly $50 tacked on to annual bill. The alternative would have generated approximately $450,000 for the municipality.
“If we have the opportunity to again provide some relief, my view is we should absolutely do it,” said Mayor Paul Aronsohn. “Last year, we got zero [percent increase], and this year we’re hoping for zero. Prior to that, tax increases were significant. If you compound what the municipal tax increase was with the Board of Education tax increase and the county, and then the burdens that Ridgewood families are feeling generally, it adds up.”
The mayor added that “$50 might sound like a little bit, but every bit adds up. If we can provide relief, we should do it.
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