Ridgewood NJ, Finally the Village of Ridgewood has now joined over two dozen other municipalities, including Teaneck, Englewood, Wayne, Paterson, Pequannock and North Bergen challenging the tax exempt status of their local hospital .
According to the Bergen Record ,”Valley’s 15 1/2-acre main campus would owe about $4.5 million in taxes if it were fully assessed, according to Michael Barker, the village tax assessor.”
Since a landmark ruling in 2015 stripped Morristown Medical Center of its property-tax exemption. Many towns in New Jersey have begun looking into stripping local non profit hospitals of their tax exempt status and for Ridgewood its about time !
Lets face it for many years Valley hospital have enjoyed the services that the Village of Ridgewood has provide to them. For example police and fire response to alarms, thefts investigation altercation.
Many readers do know that when other towns bring someone to the hospital they do not stay with the patient. If the patient becomes combative or unruly the Ridgewood police have to respond and remain until the situation is resolved.
Although not well publicized, theft from patients, Doctors and Valley Hospital do occur with some frequency. These incidents are investigated by the Ridgewood Police and are added to the reported crime statistics of Ridgewood.
The fact that Valley Hospital feels that they need to” Renew” or expand indicates that the response of the police and fire will only increase. If indeed Valley Hospital feels that they are part of the community then why not pay their fair share. Why would the Village of Ridgewood have to sue them for taxes .
It is time that all parties should sit down and settle this as a real community partners. The Village and the hospital would gain more credibility if this was done in transparent and fair way. Maybe it is time to put the past aside and make Valley a real partner in the community.
The state on Monday will order three New Jersey municipalities that have not revalued property in at least a quarter century to conduct revaluations that will affect property taxes for thousands of residents, NJ Advance Media has learned. Samantha Marcus, NJ.com Read more
Ridgewood NJ , Dr Fishbein made his recommendation to the Ridgewood Board of Education to go to a 2nd question on the November ballot to fund Traditional Full Day kindergarten for 2017. The Board unanimously agreed. The process will now begin to get ready for that vote.
Full day kindergarten will most likely require more classrooms. Meaning the Ridgewood School District will we be bonding more school construction for all 6 elementary schools in a couple of years. The usual move will be that the BOE will suggest more classrooms to accommodate full day kindergarten after the full day kindergarten is agreed to . Unless parents will be satisfied having kindergarten held in trailers in the parking lots of the schools.
So the reality is that like the Hudson Street Parking garage , this measure ,Full Day Kindergarten will result in further tax increases .
BY MICHAEL SHETLER
Real Estate Agent with Keller Williams Village Square Realty 0569304
February 10, 2016 08:30 AM
Every year around this time we see headlines about property taxes.”Which counties in NJ have the highest, lowest property taxes?” is one from NJ.com. “See what town had the highest property tax rate in Bergen County,” is another.
Headlines like these are deceptive – written expressly to get attention rather than inform the public.
The problem with these headlines is readers infer these areas have the highest/lowest tax rates, when it couldn’t be further from the truth.
In the case of one of the aforementioned articles, the first paragraph identifies Alpine, NJ, as having the highest average tax bill. While that is true, the article fails to mention the average home sale in Alpine over the last 12 months was $3,939,944. Or that Alpine has the lowest effective tax rate in Bergen County.
And Carlstadt, which is identified in the article as one of the areas with the lowest tax bills, has a tax rate over three times that of Alpine.
Wouldn’t you think some mention of home values in an area would be relevant when you’re talking about who pays the highest taxes?
The table below shows that actual tax rates of each area in Bergen County. And even more importantly, it lists the Effective Tax Rate. The latter takes into account that assessed values are not equal to market values. One town may be assessed at 95% of market value and another at 80%. They may have the same tax rate, but because the assessments are lower in the second town, the effective tax rate is also lower.
If you have any questions about property taxes in Bergen County, or are deciding which area to buy a home in, please call me at 201-421-0506 cell.
NOVEMBER 23, 2015, 9:53 PM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2015, 6:42 AM
BY LINDY WASHBURN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
Around North Jersey, more than $700 million worth of property goes untaxed because it is owned by non-profit hospitals. That includes hospital campuses on nearly 90 acres in Ridgewood, Hackensack, Teaneck, Englewood, Paterson and Wayne. And it also includes hospital-related properties, such as portions of medical office buildings in Wayne and Paramus, parking garages in Hackensack and an assortment of lots in Paterson.
That property, and the potential revenue it could produce if it were assessed property taxes, is getting a close look by leaders of the state and local governments after a precedent-setting Tax Court decision and recent settlement in a case between Morristown and the non-profit Morristown Medical Center.
Judge Vito Bianco ruled that non-profit hospitals in the early 21st century are essentially legal fictions, with little in the way they operate to distinguish them from for-profit hospitals — and almost nothing in common with their beginnings as “charitable alms houses.”
Ridgewood NJ, For those of you who believe the Village is consistently able to bring a projects in on time and within budget, I offer this as evidence of my concerns regarding the issue.
A seemingly routine contract award by the Village Council in February jumped 288% within nine (9) months due to two (2) change orders.
And this is the same Village Council that may be awarding a contract for a $15 million parking garage.
Enough said.
**********
February
15-35 Award Contract – Servicing and Repair of Potable Water Pumping Facilities (NTE $66,813.10) – Awards the second year of a two year contract to the lowest responsible bidder, Rinbrand Well Drilling, 14 Waldron Avenue, Glen Rock, NJ
July
15-219 Authorize Change Order – Servicing & Repair of Potable Water Pumping Facilities ($60,000)- Authorizes a change order to the original contractor, Rinbrand Well Drilling Co., Inc., 14 Waldron Avenue, Glen Rock, NJ which is necessary due to additional necessary repairs to pumping facilities
November
15-361 Authorize Change Order – On-Call Servicing and Repair of Potable Well Facilities and Piping (NTE $132,650.42) – Authorizes a change order to the original contractor, Rinbrand Well Drilling Company, Inc., 14 Waldron Avenue, Glen Rock, NJ. This change order is necessary due to additional necessary repairs to pumping facilities.
Regarding “Parking garage work could start in spring” (Page L-3, Nov. 6):
Ridgewood Mayor Paul Aronsohn’s rhetoric is changing as fast as the leaves are falling. Until recently, Ridgewood residents were repeatedly told by him that property taxes would absolutely not be used to fund the garage. Many were skeptical, since significant cost overruns and expensive change orders frequently populate Ridgewood Village Council agendas.
In the above article, the mayor’s quotes now indicate that he is wavering, as he states, “Costs could be entirely supported by parking revenues” and that his “aim is that it should not be paid for using tax revenue.”
As he now notes, the “Village parking utility would be on the hook if the garage failed.” Residents of Ridgewood, hang onto your wallets, here it comes.
I had to shake my head when I read Mayor Paul Aronsohn’s commentary in today’s Ridgewood News Mayor’s Corner about what he referred to as “a disinformation campaign that sought to confuse and undermine” the conversation about the parking deck. How pitiful it is that our Mayor felt it necessary to fire off such harsh criticism against a document that did not support this project.
He characterized the flyer as “distorted;” it had a drawing that was not to exact scale, but unlike the official drawing being put forth from Village Hall, the flyer’s at least included surrounding buildings, thus making it in many ways a more realistic depiction of what is to come.
“Anonymous mailer?” The signs that proclaimed VOTE YES on parking had absolutely no identification as to who had produced and distributed them. What made these less anonymous than the flyer? And what is the Mayor’s great opposition to anonymity? – when we go into the voting booth, we are always anonymous.
The Mayor actually analyzed the language in the flyer and sought to identify the post office from which it was sent? Really? What is the threat that inspired such intense detective work on his part? Of course the flyer was created and sent from a person or persons who opposed the plan; who else would send it? It is dismaying that the mayor is putting so much effort into determining the source of the flyer; this level of investigation suggests that the sender/s, if identified, could be subjected to some kind of retribution. I am hopeful that the Mayor would tread very carefully here, as freedom of speech is a right and a privilege.
Amazingly, when an anonymous email was sent to Councilman Sedon’s employer minutes after his campaign became official in 2014, Mr. Aronsohn took no action. When members of the public implored him to press forward with identifying who tainted our election process by trying to derail a candidate’s campaign, Mr. Aronsohn still did not take any kind of stand. Only when publicly pressed him to DO SOMETHING did he finally, 17 months later, send a very benign request for information, with no outrage about what had happened to Councilman Sedon, and no description of how urgently the citizens of Ridgewood wanted to identify the culprit. I would have to ask the mayor why his indignation about this anonymous parking garage flyer so overshadows his disinterest in the anonymous email during the 2014 elections.
It is a sad state of affairs when our own Mayor does not encourage those who disagree with him to share their opinions with their fellow citizens, and accuses them of undermining an initiative that he supports. I did not write, pay for, or distribute the flyer, and did not even get one in the mail. But, I was very happy to see it and more than willing to share it once I saw it. The flyer provided another part of the conversation about the Parking Garage project. The last time I checked, here in America we are entitled to express ourselves. Speaking up is our right, and the person/s who sent the flyer should be applauded.
The garage is a done deal. wake up people. the mayor wants this as his legacy. Of course it will be a financial disaster when we take money from NJ transit and Bergen county and the garage will end up being a commuter parking for out of town people. I predict the taxpayers will get stuck footing the bill as the garage will be underutilized and not meet the expected income Keep in mind that the money we now get from the parking garage goes to subsidize other elements of the town budget. Those funds will now be used to subsidize the debt on the garage so the taxpayers will need to fund that shortfall.
The recent report explaining that the income steam from the garage would be insufficient to cover the cost of the bond used to erect it, and that our entire parking fee system (i.e., meters all over town) will be made much more financially and logistically (in terms of having to pay through until 9pm every night) onerous to motorists in order to defray just PART of the added financial burden, should now be made the subject of a village-wide discussion, regardless of what 3000 die-hard supporters of big government wish to say in a “non-binding” way and during an off-year election cycle when for the first time since 1999 the lowly NJ assembly was at the top of the ticket.
Democrats win their largest N.J. Assembly majority in 36 years
Democrats tightened their control of the state Assembly in Tuesday’s elections, wresting at least three seats away from a Republican party ruled by Gov. Chris Christie, a presidential candidate whose popularity has dropped at home. Brent Johnson, NJ.com Read more
INCREASING REVENUE Given that the new demand stream is not anticipated to cover debt service for the garage, the parking system will need to increase revenue on existing spaces if it is to be self-supporting.
There will be a natural uptick in revenue as Parkmobile becomes more utilized. Apps of this sort increase compliance and also disallow “piggybacking” onto a previous parker’s leftover meter time. We have increased revenue in 2015 and 2016 to account for Parkmobile’s impact. While a 15 percent increase is common, we are projecting a five percent increase. Extending meter hours and enforcement until 9 pm is the first recommended step. Since daytime retail and restaurant customers pay to park, it is fair to ask evening restaurant customers to pay as well. In addition, metering the streets in the evening can provide parking management solutions to crowding in the future, should the Village wish to reduce employee parking along streets that should be available to customers.
Evening rates alone will not cover the projected debt service; it will be necessary to increase rates as well. In order to achieve a debt service coverage ratio of 1.5, our projections assume the following:
• Evening rates will go into effect in 2016. • On-street meter rates will be increased to 75¢ along key streets (blocks 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, and 11) in 2016.
• Core area rates will be increased to $1 in 2017, with the rest of the on-street parking and all off-street parking going to 75¢. This is projected to be the opening year for the garage.
• After five years (in 2022), $1 parking should increase to $1.25 and 75¢ parking should increase to $1 if necessary.
• We assume some reduction in parking demand with each increase as people look for free alternatives (farther away on street, or in private lots) or choose to go elsewhere. We use an assumption of 10%.
• We have not projected a shift in demand away from Ridgewood Avenue and other core streets to the cheaper garage or other off-street lots, as we assume the 25¢ differential will not significantly alter people’s preference for convenient spaces. We further assume that the demand reductions discussed above will cover the limited shift from more expensive to less expensive resources.
John Mitchell with Fair Lawn Council Candidates John Gil and Marc Zharnest with my Freeholder running mate Daisy Ortiz-Berger and Fair Lawn Mayor John Cosgrove. — withJohn Gil, Daisy Ortiz Berger and John Cosgrove at NJ TRANSIT-Radburn.
By Paul Nichols
Thursday, Oct 29, 2015
Republican candidates for Bergen County Freeholder John Mitchell, Ken Tyburczy, and Daisy Ortiz-Berger launched a campaign video debunking Democrat’s claims of millions in savings and tax cuts.
Last month Democrats aired a commercialfeaturing Freeholder Chairwoman Joan Voss in a make-believe classroom. Voss credits candidates Tanelli, Zur and Sullivan with $200 million in savings by consolidating Bergen County’s law enforcement. The spot also says the candidates created a budget with “no tax increase” and cut “$8 million” in spending.
It is apparent that the classroom Joan Voss was filmed in was not a math class.
Property taxes vary substantially around the United States, both among states and even within states. Property taxes are levied at the state and local level, but they are also typically deductible on federal returns as an itemized deduction on Schedule A for taxpayers who elect to itemize their deductions.
As a result, the IRS has substantial data on property taxes around the country. The map below shows the average property tax deduction taken on the Schedule A, per tax return, for each county in the United States.
While this is not exactly equivalent to the average property tax collections at the state level (which are higher because some taxpayers don’t itemize) the map shows a pretty good, broad, apples-to-apples comparison of property taxes across the country.
Looking at the map, some obvious things stand out. For example, the border between Pennsylvania and New York stands out; this should come as no surprise to readers of ourState Business Tax Climate Index, which puts New York fourth overall in property tax collections per capita. The most heavily-shaded state is New Jersey, which has the highest property tax collections per capita. And lastly, even within states, property taxes can vary a great deal from county to county. For example, they vary a great deal within Illinois, as we pointed out in our latest study of taxes in the state.
While this is not exactly equivalent to the average property tax collections at the state level (which are higher because some taxpayers don’t itemize) the map shows a pretty good, broad, apples-to-apples comparison of property taxes across the country.
Looking at the map, some obvious things stand out. For example, the border between Pennsylvania and New York stands out; this should come as no surprise to readers of ourState Business Tax Climate Index, which puts New York fourth overall in property tax collections per capita. The most heavily-shaded state is New Jersey, which has the highest property tax collections per capita. And lastly, even within states, property taxes can vary a great deal from county to county. For example, they vary a great deal within Illinois, as we pointed out in our latest study of taxes in the state.
Like many newlyweds, Matthew and Nazia Stevens searched for the best home to start their life together. They visited house after house in pursuit of a serene and secure setting for the children to come. The home would be close to work, close to family — all perfect for a lifetime of happiness. Paul D’Ambrosio, Asbury Park PressRead more
