the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, according to a post on “It takes a Ridgewood Village ” Facebook group , Steve Kim posted an interesting analysis , “Chances aren’t good that the $95 million referendum passes… Chances are slim that even the $70 million portion passes, if the total is split to two questions.
Continue reading Ridgewood Board of Education Puts Up a “Hail Mary”
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Form the Facebook group “Ridgewood Moms and Dads with Free Speech” Saurabh Dani commented asking readers to take a look at .” Pete and Susan’s comment in this video are REALLY important.” Its nice to see more taxpayers starting to recognize the fiscal mess the State of New Jersey is in and the enormous pension deficit, particularly with the teachers pension.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Trenton NJ, Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean said a proposal to lift New Jersey’s successful two-percent property tax cap is the wrong answer to counter major school funding cuts that are hitting many districts through the enactment of S-2:
Sen. Tom Kean said lifting New Jersey’s successful 2% property tax cap is the wrong answer to counter major school funding cuts that are hitting many districts through the enactment of S-2. (Pixabay)
Continue reading Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean says ,”Lifting 2% Property Tax Cap Is Not the Answer to School Funding Cuts”
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Morristown NJ, in a recent Garden State Initiative/FDU poll ,as New Jersey families gather around the Thanksgiving table many will be having a similar conversation – their plans to leave New Jersey. According to a recent survey conducted for the Garden State Initiative (GSI) and Fairleigh Dickinson University’s School of Public & Global Affairs, 44% of New Jersey residents are planning to leave the state in the not so distant future with more than 1 in 4 (28%) planning to depart the Garden State within 5 years. Unsurprisingly, Property Taxes and the overall Cost of Living were cited as the main drivers. The results also debunk two issues frequently cited in anecdotal accounts of outmigration, weather and public transportation, as they ranked 8th and 10th respectively, out of 11 factors offered.
Continue reading The Garden State Initiative/FDU Poll: Nearly Half of Residents Planning To leave NJ Citing Property Taxes and Cost of Living, Not the Weather
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Based on a letter Dr. Fishbein received from the Superintendent of Elections voicing concerns about safety at schools that are open on Election Day 2020, the Board discussed the pros and cons of altering the school calendar next year on that date as well as additional security measures that might be implemented that day. The Board consensus was to keep the schools open that day.
photo Bergen County Freeholders
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Hackensack NJ, Bergen County is the third-highest taxed county in the United States. Our taxes are so high because the Democrats have complete control of the Bergen County government. They waste our money, expand the county government, and raise our taxes.
Continue reading Bergen County is the third-highest taxed county in the United States
“When I see the words Fishbein and invites you…we all know it’s going to cost more..a lot More…performance is
not relevant to any task at hand. “
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, according to the Facebook page Unofficial: Ridgewood NJ Updates’s, ” Our board of education CLAIMS that they have not yet “finalized” the list of projects for referendum and that will be done in March 2020.
If the list is not finalized, then why are they spending THOUSANDS of dollars this month for presentations to parents in schools, and if LAN associate’s stated timeline of 10 months was true, then in payments to LAN associates for final sketches?
Continue reading Parent Referendum Presentations Go Forward but Ridgewood BOE Says, “it’s Not Finalized”
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Wyckoff NJ, After a federal ruling yesterday dismissed cases to rescind the $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions, Assemblyman Christopher DePhillips said that if Governor Murphy and Democrats were sincere about eliminating the cap on state and local taxes, then they should do it in New Jersey.
“Republicans tried to eliminate New Jersey’s cap on property tax deduction multiple times, and the Democrat majority voted to maintain higher taxes in each instance for no other reason than it was proposed by Republicans and it would keep up the fight against Trump,” said DePhillips (R-Bergen). “They obviously must not disagree on the substance of the policy if they are criticizing the federal law, which was based on New Jersey’s cap. It is completely hypocritical. If they don’t want a cap, then eliminate the one at home.”
“Someone wrote: “I’m sure Mr. Dani woke up this morning to the realization that his embarrassing failure was directly attributable to the very people that thought bullying people on social media into silence was his path to success. All reasonable people looked at the unhinged behavior of the people he aligned himself with and said we have serious work to do here. No wonder they went in a different direction.”
This is such flawed reasoning that it is laughable. Only four people voted for the candidate last night. Hundreds of people spoke and wrote in support of Mr. Dani. His path to success, as you anonymously mis-state, is that he is greatly admired by so many people. The four pitiful idiots on the board, who are not clear thinkers, are threatened by a smart and sensible person like Mr. Dani, which is why they did not vote for him. They went in the same tired direction they always go.
That direction will change in April. Majority rules. Those four are nothing.”
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Trenton NJ, Assemblyman Anthony M. Bucco, the Republican Conference Leader, called out the Democrats today for not addressing property taxes. The Assembly met to expand a vote-by-mail law and didn’t consider any other bills.
Bucco said that if the legislature spent time on the number one issue for voters, turnout wouldn’t be a problem. A Monmouth University poll found that property taxes were far and away the most important issue to voters. That was followed by a Rutgers-NJBIA poll, where eighty percent of respondents said they pay too much in property taxes for the services they receive, and that state government isn’t doing enough to address cost of living and affordability.
“It’s a complicated topic. What makes kids great? Their SATs? Overall IQ? Their attitude towards overcoming adversity? Industriousness? Ethical grounding? A tough one.
Second complication is, what drives how well they do in all these criteria? How do you effectively quantify contribution from individual teachers, overall school program quality, parents, and just plain genetics?
To do this analysis scientifically is too much for any parent. Even a Ridgewood parent!
From a practical stand point, we want to ensure the best for our kids. And the way to do it is, keep pressure on teachers and BOE to keep delivering better results, spend extra on tutors, sports, etc as a parent… and keep property prices high to keep only dedicated (to education) families moving in to the village.”
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, NJBIA Statement on Law Increasing Refund Time for Approved Nonresidential Property Tax Appeals
New Jersey Business & Industry Association Vice President of Government Affairs Andrew Musick issued the following statement regarding the signing of bill A-2004, which increases the time municipalities have to refund successful nonresidential property tax appeals from 60 days to three years.
Continue reading New Law Increasing Refund Time for Approved Nonresidential Property Tax Appeals Will Lead Towns to Over-assess a Nonresidential Property
file photo by Boyd Loving
“The waste of tax dollars is the schools trying to educate your low iq offspring. I have lived here for half a century and there is zero chance of getting a sufficient number of volunteers. The ambulance can’t get enough to staff it during the day and that’s only requiring 2 people. Response time is critical. The rfd has always been prompt for fire and medical calls for my neighbors and those of us long time residents who subsidize you newby NY transplants and we are tired of your whining. The cost is minuscule compare to the money pissed away on sports fields, parking garages and th bloated school budget.”
the staff of the Ridgewood blog from the IRS website
WASHINGTON DC, The Internal Revenue Service today clarified the tax treatment of state and local tax refunds arising from any year in which the new limit on the state and local tax (SALT) deduction is in effect.
In Revenue Ruling 2019-11 (PDF), posted today on IRS.gov, the IRS provided four examples illustrating how the long-standing tax benefit rule interacts with the new SALT limit to determine the portion of any state or local tax refund that must be included on the taxpayer’s federal income tax return. Today’s announcement does not affect state tax refunds received in 2018 for tax returns currently being filed.
Continue reading With new SALT limit, IRS explains tax treatment of state and local tax refunds
