Ridgewood NJ, the National Weather Service in Upton has issued a
* Flood Watch for a portion of northeast New Jersey, including
the following areas, Eastern Bergen, Eastern Essex, Eastern
Passaic, Eastern Union, Hudson, Western Bergen, Western Essex,
and Western Union.
* A prolonged period of rain is forecast tonight through Sunday
evening as a frontal boundary stalls near the area with multiple
waves of low pressure tracking along it. Rainfall amounts will
average around 2 inches by the time the event ends, with
localized higher amounts possible.
* Minor flooding of smaller streams and rivers is possible along
with urban and poor drainage flooding.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A Flood Watch means there is a potential for flooding based on
current forecasts. You should monitor later forecasts and be
alert for possible flood warnings. Those living in areas prone to
flooding should be prepared to take action should flooding
develop.
Art of Motion Studio Theatre presents love letters starring Sally Ann Tumas and Stephen Innocenzi Sun, February 11, 2018 Time: 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM Location: Art of Motion Studio, 17 Chestnut St., 2nd floor, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
February 19,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Art of Motion Studio Theatre invites you to their presentation of Love Letters starring Sally Ann Tumas and Stephan Innocenzi
Join us for a touching evening of theatre, music and dance….
Live Piano, Vocals and Dance
-Wendy Lane Bailey-Vocalist
-Janette Dishuk &M.A. Taylor, AOMDT
-Gabriel Plotkin, Jazz Pianist
Complimentary refreshments post-performance talk-back with the actors.
Dinner seating reserved at Piccolo Bistro with special prix fix menu for Love Letters guest.
7:15pm Dinner Seating
Prix Fix $25.18 (with Love Letters validated ticket)
Piccolo Bistro is located at 29 Chestnut St. Ridgewood, NJ 07450
Lora Celli Salon Exciting Valentine’s Day Special Event Thu, February 01, 2018 – Wed, February 14, 2018 Time: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM Location: Lora Celli Salon, 39 Godwin Ave, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
February 10,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Lora Celli Salon will be hosting our annual Valentine’s Day Special Event this month!!
Come celebrate Valentine’s Day all month long at Lora Celli Salon. Everyone who stops in or books an appointment leading up to Valentine’s Day will be automatically entered to win a FREE BLOW DRYER, and receive complimentary Champagne and Chocolate Covered Strawberries.
-Services include Haircut, Color, Blow Out and Style.
Ridgewood NJ, The average American uses about 88 gallons of water at home each day. An easy to way to understand individual water use is to look at your water bill—not just the amount due, but how much water you used. Using the data at your fingertips can save you water and money!
If you notice a spike in water use from one month to another, check for leaks. Or maybe summertime irrigation is driving up your water costs, then maybe it’s time to consider getting yourself a WaterSense labeled weather based irrigation controller that uses smart technology to water the lawn only when needed.
Get more tips at www.epa.gov/watersense/understanding-your-water-bill
Ridgewood NJ, In Ridgewood, there was a mad dash to pre pay property taxes due to the new federal tax law changes . The Village collected $21 million in last minute prepayments at the end of 2017. At last weeks Village council meeting a resolution was drafted to honor refund requests for payments toward the third and fourth quarters of 2018.
According to chief financial officer Bob Rooney, he had received “10 or 15” requests for refunds, but that “when I get around April, I might have a lot more.” He said 27 percent of the $21 million in prepayments were for the second half of the year.
At issue is a Dec. 27 IRS advisory saying payments for the second half of 2018 may not qualify for a deduction, because only “assessed” taxes could be prepaid. Since municipal tax years run through June, the third and fourth quarters could be considered not-yet-assessed.
Near by Glen Rock took in $9.6 million in 2018 property tax prepayments, but Mayor Bruce Packer, has said his council decided not to offer refunds, and had warned the public of this stance last year.
IRS Advisory: Prepaid Real Property Taxes May Be Deductible in 2017 if Assessed and Paid in 2017
IR-2017-210, Dec. 27, 2017
WASHINGTON – The Internal Revenue Service advised tax professionals and taxpayers today that pre-paying 2018 state and local real property taxes in 2017 may be tax deductible under certain circumstances.
The IRS has received a number of questions from the tax community concerning the deductibility of prepaid real property taxes. In general, whether a taxpayer is allowed a deduction for the prepayment of state or local real property taxes in 2017 depends on whether the taxpayer makes the payment in 2017 and the real property taxes are assessed prior to 2018. A prepayment of anticipated real property taxes that have not been assessed prior to 2018 are not deductible in 2017. State or local law determines whether and when a property tax is assessed, which is generally when the taxpayer becomes liable for the property tax imposed.
The following examples illustrate these points.
Example 1: Assume County A assesses property tax on July 1, 2017 for the period July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018. On July 31, 2017, County A sends notices to residents notifying them of the assessment and billing the property tax in two installments with the first installment due Sept. 30, 2017 and the second installment due Jan. 31, 2018. Assuming taxpayer has paid the first installment in 2017, the taxpayer may choose to pay the second installment on Dec. 31, 2017, and may claim a deduction for this prepayment on the taxpayer’s 2017 return.
Example 2: County B also assesses and bills its residents for property taxes on July 1, 2017, for the period July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018. County B intends to make the usual assessment in July 2018 for the period July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2019. However, because county residents wish to prepay their 2018-2019 property taxes in 2017, County B has revised its computer systems to accept prepayment of property taxes for the 2018-2019 property tax year. Taxpayers who prepay their 2018-2019 property taxes in 2017 will not be allowed to deduct the prepayment on their federal tax returns because the county will not assess the property tax for the 2018-2019 tax year until July 1, 2018.
The IRS reminds taxpayers that a number of provisions remain available this week that could affect 2017 tax bills. Time remains to make charitable donations. See IR-17-191 for more information. The deadline to make contributions for individual retirement accounts – which can be used by some taxpayers on 2017 tax returns – is the April 2018 tax deadline.
IRS.gov has more information on these and other provisions to help taxpayers prepare for the upcoming filing season.
“We have a massive parking problem,” Councilman Jeffrey the hothead Voigt said Monday. “We are short over a thousand spots on weekends.”
Ha ha ha, Voigt. Really? There are upwards of 1,000 cars roaming up and down Ridgewood Avenue on Saturday night looking for parking? Come up out of your basement where you post incessantly on the blog…..and take a look at the downtown on Saturday nights Voigt. There are plenty of parking spaces, plenty. People repeatedly report this, post pictures of spaces, and yet you say there are 1,000 cars unable to find a parking space. This, ladies and gentlemen, is what you get when you elect a pathological liar. Fooled a lot of you, didn’t he?!
Not one of the current or former council members have ever stated publicly why they think that the new apartments are good for Ridgewood. These developments are just causing more issues for our already stretched budget and resources.
Last summer, we were forced to obey restrictions on watering our lawns due to a water shortage. Because I followed the rules, my lawn died. What will happen when the water demand is increased because of these new apartments? why is this good for Ridgewood?
why is this good for our schools? (my child’s class class size is close to 30)
why is this good for people who walk or drive through our town? (it is already congested)
why is this good for anyone besides the developers?
WHY DID WE LET THEM IN?
Ridgewood NJ, We are just two days away from our 2018 Gala, and we are definitely feeling the love in the air around us! We can’t wait to share our full concert version of Trial by Jury, along with other Gilbert & Sullivan favorites, with you all!
Help Ridgewood Gilbert & Sullivan celebrate the beginning of their 2018 Season at our annual Gala!
Sunday, February 11 at 3pm at Twin Door Tavern (122 W Pleasant Ave, Maywood, NJ)
Since our Gala is so close to Valentine’s Day, we will be celebrating love in the works of Gilbert & Sullivan. The afternoon will feature a full concert performance of Trial by Jury, which takes place in a world where breaking off an engagement in a crime that can be tried in court! The Gala will also feature love songs from other Gilbert & Sullivan operettas, sung by our all-star cast of company members.
General admission tickets are $25 each, and for $40 you can get a ticket and a full buffet lunch/dinner! A cash bar will also be available at the venue.
Ridgewood NJ, “Fort Paramus”? believe it or not, there almost was. here’s the design submitted to Washington after the British raided the American outpost there repeatedly in 1780. Paramus church is at the center of the main fortifications with outerworks extending to the north and east above the banks of the Saddle River; cross the ravine that Rt 17 now passes through, and coming back in front of the house in front of the church, all to control the approach and bridge in the low ground in front of the church. It could just as well be called “Fort Ridgewood” since that’s where it would have been.
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Police report that on February 4, patrol units responded to 8 Godwin Avenue on a report of an assault in progress. Upon arrival, patrol located both parties which were involved in the physical altercation. Neither party wanted to sign criminal complaints and both refused medical attention at the scene. While investigating the incident, one involved party was found to have an active warrant for arrest out of North Arlington, N.J. so officers arrested the 19-year-old male from Glen Rock, N.J. The North Arlington Police were notified and the arrestee was later released on his own recognizance after a new court date was provided.
Ridgewood NJ, at last nights council meeting Village Engineer Christopher Rutishauser gave an update on the Village of Ridgewood ‘s Complete Streets Program.
“A complete street is a transportation facility that is planned, designed, operated, and maintained to provide safe mobility for all users, including bicyclists, pedestrians, transit vehicles, truckers, and motorists, appropriate to the function and context of the facility.” The idea is to take into account pedestrians, cars and bicycles as well as beauty and ADA requirements .
Councilwoman Bernie Walsh commented that the Village and Citizen safety have to do a better job at disseminating problem areas and what the Village’s response will be to address those problems.
Readers often comment on the poor conditions of the roads in town , Walsh felt that if more residents were informed on what’s going on and why it would help alleviate some confusion.
Wait, so the argument now is… because a previous council approved the building of condos, in order to “save” the Village we need to appease the developers and build a garage for them given that they will obviously not have the needed parking spaces for their new tenants….and if we don’t build this thing, this town will become a glorified Rt 17 strip filled with gyms, banks and more condos? Come on people…..let’s all assume they build this thing, how does that change anything in terms of the parking landscape in this town? Yes, commuters will use it, yes shoppers will use it, but lets be realistic, probably only those looking to shop on Broad St or very close to it. We all know that everyone in this town or those that come here want to park right across the street from where they’re going, as stated in many of the posts before, if you look for parking you will find it, but you may have to walk a bit. So the taxpayers of this town should spend millions of dollars to alleviate a problem that may or may not exist for two to three hours on Friday and Saturday nights?? Do the math, it doesn’t add up and with Uber that problem is going away. Let’s spend money on updating the current run down parking lots we have or reconfigure current parking lanes and see how that goes….what’s the downside? We need to stop looking backward and look forward….Uber and Amazon to name a few are changing how we live our lives….less brick and mortar, less cars being driven for nights out….that’s the future, not building a garage that maybe in 1990 there was a solid argument for.
It seems that very few people can even think of a realistic reason to build the garage. Add to Ridgewood taxes so people in other towns can park near the station? Provide extra parking for the builders who refuse to supply what is legally required? (How are they getting by with that, anyway? Did they change the town rules about how much parking is required for any construction? Or do they think their building permits do not require adequate parking? Council, the doctor on Broad Street has plenty of parking and has been struggling for several years to be able to use the 210 building which she owns. Why do outsiders get by with every single thing they want?) This building on Hudson doesn’t do anything for Ridgewood residents, except taking away a large part of the parking for Mt. Carmel’s activities. Two decks might help in separate parts of town but no-one is going to walk from Hudson to Oak, much less further. The only beneficiaries will be the commuters and the apartment dwellers, and for that Ridgewood must have higher and later parking fees as well as an astronomical increase in our taxes? At least the schools benefit OUR children. How will that garage benefit any of the residents?
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Historical Society is looking for sponsors for its next exhibit . Next week the official poster is off to the printer. There is one more week for businesses to join our sponsors to be listed on this poster and other promotional materials.
Join the Ridgewood Historical Society by supporting this exhibit and our mission to provide a place of historic artifacts, history and education to our local schools and families right here in Ridgewood. To sponsor The Thread of Life exhibit, please call 201-447-3242 .
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood water is looking to purchase a new water smart software ,the idea is to create a customer portal to offer better customer service and on demand access to customer account information . While we applaud Ridgewood water for moving into the 20th century ,maybe even the 21st century, issues were raised as to the cost ,integration and maintenance of the system . The mayor cleared up a few things when she realized there were some errors in the draft documents the Village made available to residents .
Mayor Knudsen ,” VC is providing “sunshine” binders allowing unprecedented access to DRAFT documents in the spirit of transparency. Typically there are errors and omissions in DRAFT documents and those are corrected before the public meeting when adopted by resolution. No different in this instance. I immediately noticed the errors and made notes for the Village Manager and Director Calbi. My meeting notes reflect a considerably lower cost based on a three year contract while the draft resolution shows the one time setup cost lumped with the total for the 3 year contract.At the right price the analytic software will provide valuable information and help with conservation efforts.I’m always happy to answer questions and going forward will have ALL binder documents marked as DRAFT. ”
What concerns us is the data collection bills have been know to be inaccurate . If Ridgewood water collects inaccurate data then the ability of the analytics will be compromised . This goes to the root of the problem . Ridgewood Water once again redirected the conversation toward consumer conservation , yet still no word on where the water is going to come from for all the high density projects going up in town.
