New Jersey is famous for saddling its homeowners with high tax bills. That prompted Paul Waters from Brigantine to ask, “Why are New Jersey property taxes some of the highest in the nation?”
There is not one answer.
Most obvious is that New Jersey has 565 municipalities, down from 567 — that’s 565 mayors, councils, town governments.
New Jersey also has more than 600 school districts, 586 of which are operational, each with its own superintendent and administrative structure.
Then there are the 21 county governments and their bureaucracies.
Public worker salaries and benefits are relatively high in New Jersey thanks to aggressive public sector unions.
Throw in the generally high cost of goods and services in the New York-Philadelphia region and you begin to see why our property taxes have been the highest in the nation for years.
Ridgewood NJ, Early registration for 2017 Graydon Pool membership begins on this Saturday, April 1, with a discount offered to Ridgewood residents who register during April.
Placemats for children to color can be found now at The Daily Treat, The Country Pancake House, Renato’s, Baumgart’s, and elsewhere. They were designed by Councilman Ramon Hache!
Purchase Graydon Pool memberships beginning April 1st. SAVE – Residents can enjoy a 10% discount on adult and child badges through April 30th.
CONTACTS
Pool Manager’s Office – 201-670-5500, ext 7002 (in season)
Badge Office – 201-670-5500, ext 7003 (in season only)
Recreation Office at The Stable- 201-670-5560
recreation@ridgewoodnj.net
Parks, open space, facilities, year round recreational activities to meet the needs of all residents. All Village parks and recreational facilities are now smoke free.GRAYDON MEMBERSHIP RATES – On sale beginning April 1st
RESIDENT GRAYDON POOL MEMBERSHIPS
Village priced memberships are available to Ridgewood residents, non-residents who pay local property taxes to the Village of Ridgewood, and employees of the Village of Ridgewood and Board of Education. Proof is required.
ADULT – $120.00 Purchase between April 1 and April 30 and save 10%
CHILD – (ages 2-15, under 2 free) $110.00 Purchase between April 1 and April 30 and save 10%
SENIOR – $30.00 (62 and older)
PERMANENT DISABLED – $30.00
LATE SEASON ADULT MEMBERSHIP – $60.00 (available August 1st)
LATE SEASON CHILD MEMBERSHIP – $55.00 (available August 1st)
DAILY PASS – $10.00
BADGE REPLACEMENT – $5.00
NON-RESIDENT GRAYDON POOL MEMBERSHIPS
The Village Council and the Ridgewood Department of Parks and Recreation are pleased to invite all families in the surrounding area to join the Graydon Pool facility for the 2017 summer season.
ADULT (ages 16 and up) – $200.00
CHILD (ages 2-15) – $175.00
GUEST PASSES (must be accompanied by 2017 season member)- $10.00
BADGE REPLACEMENT – $5.00
Purchase all badges from the comfort of home via CommunityPass (Visa and Mastercard accepted). In person assistance is available daily at the Graydon Badge Office, on site at the pool facility. Hours vary by season dates.
GRAYDON POOL AMENITIES
Pool features include a shaded playground, water play fountains, shade kites, Adirondack chairs, a picnic area with charcoal grills, a sheltered pavilion, and the Water’s Edge Cafe. Additional amenities include volleyball, basketball, ping-pong, shuffleboard, four-squares, hop-scotch, backgammon, a lending library and for the little ones, “Storytime” under the Graydon pavilion.
SEASONAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Applications are being sought for the many summer positions available with the Parks and Recreation Department including Day Camp Administrators, Day Camp Counselors, Graydon Pool Lifeguards, Security Attendants, and Badge Sale Attendants. Concession Attendant applications will be shared with the Water’s Edge vendor. NOTE: Day Camp staff attendance is mandatory for the full six week program, June 26 to August 4, 2017.
Applications will be considered for experience, interests, and accomplishments.
Waterfront lifeguard training for a sand-bottom facility will be offered at Graydon Pool – both new and bridge/recertification classes available. Registration form/details in the link below:
Register online via CommunityPass (under Graydon Pool) or in person/by mail to the Stable, 259 N. Maple Avenue, Ridgewood NJ 07450 beginning April 1st.
Mark Krulish , Staff Writer, @Mark_Krulish6:45 p.m. ET March 30, 2017
RIDGEWOOD — After months of discussion and comments from the public regarding two ordinances that restricted parking on certain residential streets, the Village Council will have ordinances prepared at next month’s public meeting to ease some of those limitations.
One ordinance, adopted in June, banned parking on Pomander Walk from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. . Another disallowed parking from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., from Sept. 1 through June 30, on Bogert Avenue and Cambridge Road 500 feet from their intersections with East Glen Avenue. Those were passed in December and took effect in January. In both cases, safety concerns for pedestrians and residents in the area were the main driver of the changes.
Ridgewood NJ, A 911 telephone caller that reported observing an adult male laying unconscious behind a group of bushes on South Maple Avenue near Walton Street, Ridgewood resulted in an immediate response from Ridgewood PD, FD, and EMS personnel on Thursday afternoon, 03/30. The first arriving Ridgewood PD officers determined that the individual was conscious and breathing, but highly intoxicated. He was transported by ambulance to Bergen Regional Medical Center for treatment as per requirements of the NJ State Alcohol Treatment and Rehabilitation Act.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Charles Bozian asks ,”This is the “green” space everyone is getting hot and bothered about, the grass around the cement path….. really???”
funny how no one ever said a thing about the portopoty that was station at the train station for over 3 months ?
Ridgewood NJ, A two (2) vehicle crash at the intersection of East Glen and North Maple Avenues in Ridgewood resulted in ambulance transport to The Valley Hospital for two (2) victims on Thursday morning, 03/30. Ridgewood PD, FD, and EMS responded to the incident. Both vehicles were heavily damaged and removed from the scene by a flatbed tow truck.
Fresh off of their victory in the Battle of Trenton, the Continental Army led by George Washington, encamped in Morristown for the winter of 1780. For the months that the army rested, a widow named Theodosia Ford opened up her home to General Washington, his family and his aides, who used her home as military headquarters until the war could resume.
Mrs. Ford’s decision to share her home was not unusual at the time. In fact, from the time of the Revolution and the growth of summer vacation rentals on the Jersey Shore in the 20th century to Portuguese immigrants helping one another find a home and build a community in 21st century Newark, home sharing has a long and storied history in the Garden State.
Pay for unused absences was capped at $15,000 in 2010, but public employees hired before that at school districts, towns, and counties across the state can still rack up six-figure payouts
Public workers in a majority of New Jersey’s municipalities, school districts, and all but two of its counties are due almost $1.9 billion in pay for unused absences when they retire, with at least one employee slated to receive as much as $500,000.
To put things in perspective: If this obligation were spread throughout the state, every New Jerseyan would have to chip in $207 to cover the public-employee version of Wall Street’s golden parachute — according to an NJ Spotlight analysis of local budgets.
Or think of it this way: In this state with the highest property taxes in the nation, the $929 million owed to municipal workers alone, if it were paid out immediately by property-tax payers, would lead to an increase of 11 percent over last year’s total local levy.
Part of the problem can be traced to the way benefits are typically negotiated by local officials, be it with a union or with individuals. According to Jon Moran, senior legislative analyst with the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, it can be difficult for elected officials to take a hard line when facing the realities of what neighboring towns give and a town’s own precedent.
Follow this link for an interactive table of sick-day payout liabilities for New Jersey’s school districts, towns, and counties.
Ridgewood NJ,Ridgewood resident Jacqueline Hone asks ,”What exactly does the Conservancy for Ridgewood Public Lands conserve? Maybe someone can help clarify.”
She goes on to point out ,”This self appointed group and president support clear cutting/bulldozing of the Schedler Woods (7 acres). The irreparable damage, permanent loss of green space and expose endangered/threatened wildlife and residents to toxic conditions. All to make way for a sports complex & 90′ baseball field.”
In fact we have never heard or seen the group raise a finger on any “turf field ” project in town. Frankly you could not support something worse for the environment . Turf fields are not only suspect for safety , but recent news reveals shorter life span than expected . Not to mention increase run off creating more local flooding and durring the summer months they become a heat a sink in summer raising ground temperatures significantly. Folks what happened to all Ridgewood’s true believers in “global warming “?
Hone also points out , “Why? Interestingly, this organization’s secretary is also a Trustee for the Baseball Association behind the exact same sports complex. Where is the conservancy?”
And finally shes get to the magic question, “Why are they calling for a witch hunt and so worried about a slight reduction (few sq ft) of grass, in the middle of the train station parking lot, but willing to bulldoze more than 7acres of true green space? Hypocrisy at its best. What is really going on here?”
Just a case of another misguided committee ,no whats really going on is the mindless support by Aronsohn flunkies for “Garagezilla” . After all “Garagezilla” is the answer to everything and especially for some that are looking forward to being nestled into a new apartments that will require taxpayer funded parking.
Ridgewood NJ,Ridgewood Police, Fire department, EMS, OEM, Parking Enforcement and Emergency Services personnel all participated in the search for an adult female dementia patient who went missing while on foot in Ridgewood’s Central Business District on Wednesday afternoon, 03/29. The missing woman was located safe & sound at her home in Oakland, two (2) hours after having last been seen by her spouse on Franklin Avenue in Ridgewood.
Ridgewood NJ, After PSE&G upgrades the gas lines in your neighborhood, we first wait for the ground to settle and then return to restore roads with permanent paving in accordance with each town’s ordinance and paving requirements. Our goal is to complete this work with minimal impact to customers. Police will be directing traffic, and residents will be able to drive on the roads once paving is complete. You will have access to your driveway throughout the work.
If you have any questions about the restoration process, you may call and leave a voicemail (Oakland Gas District 201-337-2519)
We appreciate your patience and cooperation as we work to complete these important upgrades to your gas service – ensuring the safety and reliability of your gas service now, and for many years to come.
The streets below are scheduled to be paved, with an approximate start date of March 28th and completion date of April 4th. Please remember that this work is weather dependent and the schedule may be adjusted if necessary.
Become a Sponsor and Take Home a Beautiful Original Framed Painting. Every Sponsor goes home with a painting.
Reception: Sunday, April 9th, 2017 2-4pm
Exhibition Dates: Friday, April 7th- Friday, May 5th, 2017
Gala Drawing: Friday, May 5th, 2017 8pm
The Ridgewood Art Institute
12 East Glen Avenue, Ridgewood NJ 07450 201-652-9615 www.ridgewoodartinstitute.org
Ridgewood NJ, The Sponsor Show is our most popular annual event at the Ridgewood Art Institute, providing sponsors an opportunity to acquire a beautifully framed original painting, from the collection donated by our outstanding artists and instructors. In addition to wonderful landscapes and still lifes, several of our professional artists offer the chance to commission a portrait or pet painting. On the night of the Gala Drawing, the name of each sponsor is randomly called to choose their favorite painting. For only $275, become a sponsor and begin creating your painting “wish list” at our Opening Reception, or anytime during the exhibition dates. Proceeds from the show go directly toward the Institute’s efforts to promote fine arts in our community.
Once again we are offering gift certificates. You can become a sponsor yourself, and you can purchase a gift certificate for a friend or family member to join you as a sponsor. A personally selected painting is a wonderful gift for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, weddings, or any special occasion.
A limited number of sponsorships are sold each year, so don’t miss out on this exciting event! Sponsorships can be purchased on line at www.ridgewoodartinstitute.org.
For more information , visit our website www.ridgewoodartinstitute.org and click “Art Exhibits”.
Ridgewood NJ, Support Project Graduation 2017 at this fun event! Watch more than 200 RHS seniors walk the runway wearing clothing from many local retailers and bid on fantastic auction items- there’s something for everyone! Email kplucky@yahoo.com with questions or to RSVP.
Sunday at 1 PM – 4 PM
5 days from now · 39–61° Partly Cloudy
Teaneck Marriott At Glenpointe
100 Frank W Burr Blvd, Teaneck, New Jersey 07666
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Police Department is pleased to announce the 4th annual Chief Michael Feeney, Jr. Police Academy scheduled from Thursday June 23rd through Friday June 30th 2017, at Benjamin Franklin Middle School. The Academy is open to Ridgewood residents entering 6th 7th and 8th grades in the fall of 2017.
Last year’s academy featured demonstrations from The Ridgewood Police Department, Bergen County Sheriff’s Department K-9 and Bomb Squad, Police Motorcycles, Ridgewood Emergency Services, FBI, Ridgewood Fire Department, State Police Helicopter landing, Tactical driving, as well as demonstrations from various other agencies. A field trip to the Bergen County Law and Public Safety Complex in Mahwah is also scheduled.
Applications will be available online in community pass or at the Ridgewood Police Station 2nd floor police desk after April 15th 2017.
For more information contact Lt.Glenn Ender
gender@ridgewoodnj.net
I find this new”law” has taken things to the limit. I park my car a block away to allow a repair man to park in my driveway. My dog walker comes, parks in my driveway to walk my dog as I have recently had surgery. Repairman said he may need to go out before the dog walk is back I tell her to pull in the street and I will stand with her car. A few min later , while standing in the street a traffic office pulls up, I explain the situation and that she will be back in a min or 2 and he says the car is in violation and MUST give me a ticket to put on the car. He never even gets out of his car! I ask why must he be so severe and I was told it is his job. I take the ticket to avoid upsetting my dog walker and I am told it I don’t put it on the car or move the car she may get a second ticket. I email this to all council members, only to hear back from 1who doesn’t even seem to know what I am referring to when I ask for the so called safety study that I have asked for on 3 separate occasions.Is this level of law enforcement really necessary!
