Tag: Ridgewood NJ

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New Jersey Taxpayers faced the 3rd highest state tax burden

New Jersey Democrats Move to Raise Taxes

State-Local Tax Burden Rankings

We’ve just released our annual State-Local Tax Burden Rankings. According to the report, 9.9 percent of income in America went toward state and local taxes (in FY 2012).

The report highlights the state-local tax burden on taxpayers in each of the 50 states, details how much residents pay to their state and other states, and illustrates taxburden trends over time and within each state.

New Yorkers faced the highest burden, with 12.7% of income in the state going to state and local taxes. Connecticut (12.6%) and New Jersey (12.2%) followed closely behind. On the other end of the spectrum, Alaska (6.5%), South Dakota (7.1%) and Wyoming (7.1%) had the lowest burdens.

The study’s key findings include:

During the 2012 fiscal year, state-local tax burdens as a share of state incomes decreased on average across the U.S. Average income increased at a faster rate than tax collections, driving down state-local tax burdens on average.
On average, taxpayers pay the most taxes to their own state and local governments. In 2012, 78 percent of taxes collected were paid within the state of residence, up from 73 percent in 2011.
State-local tax burdens are very close to one another and slight changes intaxes or income can translate to seemingly dramatic shifts in rank. For example, Delaware (16th) and Colorado (35th) only differ in burden by just over one percentage point. However, while burdens are clustered in the center of the distribution, states at the top and bottom can have substantially different burden percentages—e.g. New York (12.6%) and Alaska (6.5%).

It’s important to remember that a significant amount of taxation occurs across state lines, and that this shifting is not uniform. For instance, one might pay sales taxes at their local corner store, but also pay sales taxes when on vacation in another state. This shifting should not be ignored when attempting to understand the burden faced by taxpayers within a state.

 

FULL REPORT : https://taxfoundation.org/article/state-local-tax-burden-rankings-fy-2012?utm_source=Tax+Foundation+Newsletters&utm_campaign=d4f19c7dbb-Promo_Income_Taxes_Illustrated_copy_01_11_5_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8387957ec9-d4f19c7dbb-427656697&ct=t(Promo_Income_Taxes_Illustrated_copy_01_11_5_2015)&mc_cid=d4f19c7dbb&mc_eid=c834f22e2e

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A Capella competition set for Jan. 23 at Northern Highlands

christmas-music-notes-border-singing_8355-1

JANUARY 19, 2016    LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2016, 3:41 PM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
TOWN JOURNAL

A Cappella groups from around Bergen County and the greater Tri-State Area are gearing up for the quarterfinal round of the International Championship of High School a Cappella (ICHSA) taking place at Northern Highlands Regional High School on Jan. 23.

Locally, groups representing Cresskill, Ridgewood, Paramus and host Northern Highlands will put their voices to the test against a number of schools from both New Jersey and New York.

The ICHSA Mid-Atlantic Regional competition will feature two rounds this year due to a boost in the number of high schools participating in the competition. The top three finishing groups on Saturday will compete in the semifinal round on March 19.

“It’s kind of exploding,” said Tom Paster, the director of the Northern Highlands group Highlands Voices, which has won the regional competition for the past five years in a row.

One of those newcomers is a group known as The Octaves, a collection of vocalists from Paramus High School.

The Octaves stand in contrast with many of the groups competing as it is completely run by its students. Junior Victoria Marchlewski handles the musical arrangements and vocal parts while Blu Frankel, a senior, runs the meetings and rehearsals.

“They’re pretty much in charge,” said Amanda Faley, the original advisor to the group. “They run the meetings, send out messages, practice at houses on weekends and meet in my room or the auditorium during the week to rehearse and put stuff together.”

The Octaves are still a relatively young group, only about nine months old. They were formed during the spring in the last school year and were able to enter the A Cappella Festival at Northern Highlands last April. Right away, the nascent group was sharing the stage with high school groups from northern and central New Jersey as well as Casual Harmony from Rutgers University.

Since then, The Octaves have performed at other small functions around Paramus, such as the Relay for Life event at Bergen Community College, the Christmas tree lighting ceremony and a senior citizen breakfast at Paramus High School, but the big focus for the students has been the ICHSA competition.

“[The students] are so mature and so responsible,” said Faley. “A lot of teams, they have these big musical coaches who went to places like Julliard. They have professionals hired doing these things with these groups. I’m not making any arrangements or choreographing for them, which is really cool.”

Over at Ridgewood High School, both men’s and women’s groups are feverishly preparing sets of their own. Ridgewood will be sending both the Maroon Men and the Acabellas to the competition.

“The kids are doing well,” said Steven Bourque, the director of both groups. “They’re working hard and I have for the first time some student arrangements. Kids within the group arranged music for the competition.”

Bourque said the students are in the midst of working out an optimal visual component to go along with the songs. Bourque said the Maroon Men tend to favor rock and roll songs while the Acabellas gravitate more toward slower, more powerful songs.

“It’s figuring out how to create formations that are interesting, that don’t involve a lot of movement and getting it to be represent each song that we are singing,” said Bourque.

https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/a-capella-competition-set-for-jan-23-at-northern-highlands-1.1494859

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Reader say Ridgewood Parking Meter Financial incentives can work to improve things when they are planned carefully

PayByPhone_Meter

When parking was made half price in lots, I made an effort to park in the lots. When street parking cost the same, I began to park on the street again. And there it is. Financial incentives can work to improve things when they are planned carefully. Doubling and tripling parking fees will cause many people to run away. The town cannot survive by catering only to those who don’t think twice about what they spend on items large or small. What we are facing is endless disincentives, like the prospect of having to pay 35 cents for the privilege of paying to park. For me this will never happen and if the meters stop accepting coins the CBD will never have my business again. Add to that the horrors of the single-lane underpass and now the blinding and stupid sign telling me to shop and dine in my town, and I basically avoid downtown to the greatest possible extent.

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RHS Hockey team returns to Bergen tournament

hi-ice-hockey

JANUARY 15, 2016    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2016, 12:31 AM
BY GREG TARTAGLIA
SPORTS EDITOR |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Ridgewood High School gets much better odds playing the numbers 1-13-16 on the ice than in Powerball.

Those digits represent the date of the Maroons’ latest Bergen County hockey tournament victory, a 5-1 decision over Paramus/Lyndhurst/Hackensack Wednesday at the Ice Vault in Wayne.

The date of Ridgewood’s last prior county win? Jan. 16, 2013 (1-16-13) over Mahwah in the opening round. The team dropped its 2014 opener to Tenafly and did not qualify in 2015 following a slow start to the season.

This year’s first-round triumph gives the No. 8-seed Maroons a quarterfinal match-up with No. 2 St. Joseph tonight at the Ice Vault. RHS defeated the Green Knights to reach the 2012 semifinals, its furthest advancement in the tourney’s five-season history.

Senior Cooper Telesco led the offense against No. 9 Paramus/Lyndhurst/Hackensack (7-4-1) with two goals and one assist. He was one of four different Maroons to light the lamp in the third period, along with Ryan Carius, Liam Seston and Justin Klatsky.

Klatsky, Matt Cafarella, J.P. Kelly and Tim Anzano added an assist apiece, and goalie David Woodford made 26 saves as RHS moved to 9-3-1.

The win was welcomed after the Maroons sustained their first loss of the calendar year last Saturday, 6-2 against Big North Patriot foe River Dell/Westwood.

Ridgewood began 2016 by topping Clifton, 10-3 on Jan. 2, and RD/Westwood, 8-2 on Jan. 3. After splitting the season series with the latter, the team was 5-1 in the division, good for first place over the Golden Hawks (3-1-1).

https://www.northjersey.com/sports/high-school-sports/boys-ice-hockey/maroons-back-in-bergen-tourney-1.1492244

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Readers Speculate over Targeting of Residents that Voice Any Opposition in Ridgewood

3 amigos in action Ridgewood NJ

I know of several individuals who feel they have been targeted by the village after making complaints. At the time, I told them to contact the village manager. I thought that was the way to go. Most people feel too uncomfortable expressing their concerns at a public meeting. I now feel that is the only way to go. My own personal experience occurred two years ago. I had sent a letter to the Ridgewood News. I had forwarded a copy to the council. At a council meeting, I was approached by the mayor and he asked me to pull it. I said I couldn’t because it was past the deadline and I was under the impression they were printing it. It was not an inflammatory letter. It was not printed and I later found out through many sources that the mayor had gone to the paper and intervened. The mayor had implied that I had gotten it all wrong but later admitted that he had. I think at best , the actions taken by the mayor and subsequent cover up was problematic.

Many people believe that the email to Mike Sedon’s place of employment did come from the village as it was sent immediately after his petition was handed in at that location. I hope it wasn’t so but it seems like a familiar pattern.

If somebody knocks on your door with the permit inspection hammers swinging within a month of a public comment including that homeowners Name recording at a meeting…doesn’t take much imagination to connect the pieces and possible motives here…for goodness sake Rwood take back your Town…

This whole matter goes back to yet another ill-conceived comment made by a man that wants to be our next Mayor. Regardless of whether there’s any correlation to surprise inspections and summons’ to Mr. Pucciarelli’s very public threat, one has to question the man’s judgement for making the comment in the first place. This is not the first time Mr. Pucciarelli has spoken before thinking.

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Reader says Ridgewood should have data from parkmobile

parkmobile_meter

The town should have data from parkmobile. That should be the FIRST step to identity exactly how many spots are needed, instead of just pushing for a garage closer to the new proposed development by a company where Mayor’s wife used to work.

They are trying to use old data – 15 years ago to justify the demand. Many people say that you can always get the parking, you just need to know where to park. There are hidden spots. e.g. YMCA lot. The town can negotiate partnership with those private lots to provide parking. We can convert some streets to one way only to increase parking spaces. We can limit all street parking to 30 minutes and make it free – and all long term parking – longer than 30 minutes should be in these paid parking spaces not on the street – not in front of the shops. That will free up most lots and noone will have to circle around, if the street lots are free and are for LIMITED time – you park – do the business and go away.

Anyway – first order of business – IDENTIFY HOW MANY SPOTS ARE NEEDED – WITH A RECENT STUDY – WHICH CAPTURES DATA FOR MULTIPLE DAYS – NOT FOR ONE WEEK, NOT FOR A FEW HOURS. DON’T SPEND TAX PAYERS 15 MILLION DOLLARS ON YOUR PERSONAL AGENDA BY JUSTIFY IT USING FAKE REPORTS.

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Controversy engulfs Ridgewood church; officials praise deeds; ex-members call it a cult

The World Mission Society Church of God in Ridgewood, New Jersey

JANUARY 16, 2016, 11:55 PM    LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, JANUARY 17, 2016, 10:13 AM
BY ABBOTT KOLOFF AND CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITERS |
THE RECORD

Two years ago, 1,200 young people wearing bright yellow shirts from churches connected to the World Mission Society Church of God in Ridgewood filled an auditorium to receive emergency response training, prompting Bergen County officials to praise their unbridled enthusiasm, which included a rendition of the wave.

“We love you,” they chanted in return.

Former church members say they, too, were overflowing with love when they joined the church, but at some point saw another side to a rapidly growing religion rooted in a belief that a South Korean woman in her 70s is the physical manifestation of God. These ex-members — from New Jersey as well as other parts of the country — offered similar, independent accounts of being lured into the church, slowly at first, without being told all of its beliefs, then frightened into devotion and donating large portions of their savings by talk of the impending end of the world — in 2012.

Some of them, as well as several experts, have gone so far as to call the church a cult.

Leaders of the Ridgewood church, an offshoot of the South Korean World Mission Society Church of God, which boasts more than 2 million followers worldwide, responded to its critics by saying in statements to The Record that the label “cult” is a form of “religious intolerance” used to denigrate groups with “certain views that are contrary to the norm.” They denied preaching that the world would end four years ago.

And in a court filing, they said their “unfamiliar beliefs,” which include devotion to Zahng Gil-Jah, or the Heavenly Mother, left them “vulnerable to persecution as any new religion throughout history.” They called accusations made against them “fabrications.”

https://www.northjersey.com/news/controversy-engulfs-ridgewood-church-officials-praise-deeds-ex-members-call-it-a-cult-1.1493693

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Is this how “somebody’s going to pay for this” actually works?

Village Council Meeting

January 17,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ , A resident who recently spoke out at a Village Council meeting in opposition to a plan being promoted by the “Council majority” reported to me that within a few days of making those comments, a Village of Ridgewood employee visited his/her home, conducted an unannounced property maintenance inspection, and issued a summons to the resident.

Wondering if the timing of the inspection was in any way related to the comments he/she made at the recent Village Council meeting, or just a coincidence, the resident informally checked with several other people who had publicly voiced opposition to a “Council majority” plan and found, surprisingly, that a few others had also recently received summonses for property maintenance related issues.

The staff of The Ridgewood Blog wonders how many of you out there received a summons in connection with a property maintenance related issue shortly after speaking at a Village Council meeting?

We’d love to hear from you with as many specifics as you’d care to share.

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Cycling Their Way to Better Health and Better Learning

DeskCycles

January 16,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Paramus NJ, The Valley Hospital Department of Community Health and Community Benefit recently donated 10 DeskCycles to Parkway Elementary School as part of its health education partnership with the Borough of Paramus. “This school year, Parkway’s theme was healthy bodies and that works right into our departmental goals so we partnered up to support them,” said Valley health educator Danielle Cinnante.  “Our department has brought in nutrition and health education to the students and parents of Parkway and is so excited to help support the health of our young community!” In addition to supporting fitness, the cycles also help learning by enabling the students to focus on their classroom tasks without fidgeting or becoming restless.

 

Shown here with Parkway students are Parminder Savalia, Health Education Supervisor, The Valley Hospital; Elaine Palombit, school nurse, Parkway Elementary; Jean Mulholland, physical education teacher, Parkway Elementary; and Danielle Cinnante, health educator, The Valley Hospital.

 

DeskCycles to Parkway Elementary School
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Ridgewood Restaurant Smith Brothers to close in February

Smith brothers
January 15,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Long time Ridgewood Restaurant Smith Brothers is rumored to be closing February 1st. It will become an Italian restaurant.
We are not surprised. As much as we always tried to like the place you never knew what you were going to get when you ordered. We checked and they only got 2 out of 5 stars on Yelp.

Most of the complaints echoed ours over the years were about service and then the food.Sources tell us not 1 employee will be retained, even those working for over 10 years.Seems the new place will be starting fresh.

 For many years they were known for live music and hosted countless local bands .

Readers remarked that they felt management was the problem, they treated everyone like crap. Another Reader said , the wife and I had dinner there some years ago near the table by the bar. Owner berated a poor 16 year old busboy right in front of us.

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O’Connor Davies Merges with Flackman, Goodman & Potter of Ridgewood

FGP

NEW YORK (JANUARY 4, 2016)

BY MICHAEL COHN

Fast-growing New York CPA firm O’Connor Davies has merged in Flackman, Goodman & Potter, a New Jersey-based accounting firm that specializes in transaction advisory services for private equity funds.

In business for over 95 years, Ridgewood, N.J.-based FGP provides a wide range of audit, advisory and tax services to businesses and individuals, especially in the merger and acquisitions space. The FGP merger with O’Connor Davies is the latest step in a growth initiative that O’Connor Davies set in motion last year and which the firm plans to continue this year to increase its regional and national presence while building its practice niche areas.

“Our growth strategy over the past year sends a strong message that we will continue to invest the necessary resources to deepen our firm’s expertise in order to meet the evolving needs of our clients,” said O’Connor Davies managing partner Kevin J. Keane. “Joining forces with FGP is an exciting next step as we expand our reach across a wide range of business sectors.  I’m thrilled to welcome the skilled professionals from the FGP team and look forward to our shared future success.”

https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/firm-profession/oconnor-davies-merges-in-flackman-goodman-76856-1.html

 

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Troubles in Ridgewood

clock_cbd_theridgewoodblog

Troubles in Ridgewood

JANUARY 15, 2016    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2016, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Troubles in Ridgewood

To the editor:

We have troubles right here in Ridgewood, New Jersey, and that rhymes with P and that stands for poor planning.

We voted yes on parking but we didn’t understand that all three garage designs would not fit on the site and would encroach on already narrow Hudson Street by 10 to 12 feet, creating huge traffic and safety issues. Mt. Carmel parishioners came out in large numbers at last week’s council meeting to express their concerns about the effects of such a structure on the church community along with many others with strong objections to the garage proposals.

We live in a small town. I believe we are a mile square which makes all of us close neighbors and thereby connected. My neighbor’s problems are mine. I don’t want a facility that hurts Mt. Carmel.

I don’t want a large baseball field that will result in the removal of many acres of woods, which is the home of at least one endangered species. Residents are worried about noise and particle pollution due to their close proximity to Route 17.

I believe we must reduce the 35 units per acre density changes in the CBD to a more manageable 22-24 up from 12.

Habernickel Park neighbors need to have their traffic and safety concerns addressed. We all travel down Hillcrest Avenue and understand the problems. My fellow residents’ issues are mine.

This is our village. We elected our council members to represent us. I thought that meant they would also listen to us and when possible, act accordingly. I see all of our issues bring resolved with some form of compromise.

We would all benefit from that approach and in the process, we wouldn’t hurt our neighbors or in the long run, ourselves.

Linda McNamara

Ridgewood

https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/letter-troubles-in-ridgewood-1.1492290

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Ridgewood Mayor Paul Aronsohn Suggests State Senate bid

Paul_Aronsohn_theridgewood blog
January 16,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, , the Glen Rock Patch is reporting this morning that Mayor Paul Aronsohn said that he “may explore the possibility” of running to fill Kevin O’Toole’s state senate seat next year. (https://patch.com/new-jersey/ridgewood/ridgewood-aronsohn-may-explore-running-senate-seat-next-year ) . This has been a long standing rumor and has been previously reported on the Ridgewood blog . State Senator Kevin O’Toole and the Mayor have been reported friends you some time. While the mayor praised O’Toole , O’Toole had made it clear that he was no friend of the Ridgewood blog .

The announcement in the Patch coincides with the Mayor Aronsohn’s announcement  that he would not see reelection in Ridgewood and confirms most residents deepest suspicions about the rush to over develop the Central Business District . The Mayor clearly seeks to leave a legacy , change the demographics  and pull in campaign donations from developers . For many this is also proof positive that for Paul Aronsohn , Ridgewood was just a starting point to rejuvenate his sagging political career  and  gives credence to the true motivations for rushing the massive over development that often seem contrary to residents wishes .

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Ridgewood and Glen Rock hosts its 34th annual celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. King

MLK

MARTIN LUTHER KING CELEBRATION – JANUARY 18TH

January 15,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ , U.S. Senator Cory Booker will deliver remarks addressing the theme, “We Shall Not Be Silent,” as The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Committee of Ridgewood and Glen Rock hosts its 34th annual celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. King. The community is invited to attend this free program, which will take place on Monday, January 18 at the Ridgewood United Methodist Church, 100 Dayton St., in Ridgewood, New Jersey.

Senator Booker and The Rev. Joseph Ellwanger, Pastor Emeritus of Cross Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, will be guest speakers during an interfaith worship service beginning at 10 a.m. Rev. Ellwanger is best known as a civil rights activist who marched alongside Dr. King.

The morning service will be followed by an 11:30 a.m. outdoor rally, 12 p.m. community lunch, and 1 p.m. screening of the documentary I Shall Not be Silent. The film highlights the work of Rabbi Joachim Prinz, a key figure in the American civil rights movement.

The program will also include Ridgewood and Glen Rock student speakers and musical performances by the Indian Hills Chamber Choir and Men of Umoja chorus.

“We are thrilled that Senator Booker and Rev. Ellwanger will be joining us as we shine a light on the continuing struggle for racial justice in our country,” said committee co-chair Alice Newton. “Each of them embodies Dr. King’s legacy of not only speaking out for justice, but actively advocating for change. At a time when civil rights issues dominate the headlines – locally and nationally – we welcome their insights and inspiration.”

Rev. Ellwanger, a white pastor, led an African American congregation for nine years at St. Paul Lutheran in Birmingham, Alabama. He went on to serve as pastor of Cross Lutheran from 1967 to 2001. Rev. Ellwanger was active in the civil rights movement and shares his experiences in his book, Strength for the Struggle, copies of which will be available for purchase at the event. He was awarded the Fred L. Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award by the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute in 2008, and continues to work on projects involving social justice and other issues facing communities today.

I Shall Not Be Silentis an award-winning documentary of the life of Rabbi Joachim Prinz, who spoke out for justice from the synagogues of 1930’s Berlin to the 1963 March on Washington. Rabbi Prinz addressed the crowd just before Dr. King delivered his “I Have A Dream” speech, urging them to actively advocate for racial and social justice.

The annual Ridgewood/Glen Rock Martin Luther King Jr. celebration began in 1983 in an effort to unite area residents, regardless of faith or ethnic background, in worship and action as they work towards peace and justice for all. More than 20 religious groups, the Ridgewood and Glen Rock Boards of Education, local government, and civic organizations participate in and support the event each year. For more information contact Alice Newton at 201-951-9903 or Roann Rubin at 201-704-4650; email [email protected]; or visit the Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee of Glen Rock/Ridgewood, N.J. on Facebook.

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Lack of snow precipitating positives for Ridgewood

Ridgewood_snow_storm_theridgewoodblog

JANUARY 15, 2016    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2016, 12:31 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

The temperatures have turned a little colder since the start of the New Year, but the weather has remained unseasonably pleasant in northern New Jersey.

Most notably, the past couple of months have lacked the cycle of snowstorms that blanketed the region in each of the past two years with several feet of powder, which can cause havoc for many municipalities as they attempt to keep streets clear and safe.

Instead, the village has been able to focus on tasks not normally associated with this time of year.

Director of Operations Rich Calbi said without snow, village employees can spend more time on routine maintenance, such as fixing potholes. The unseasonable warmth has allowed workers to continue using hot asphalt to fill potholes, which Calbi said tends to have a longer lifespan than a substance known as cold patch.

However, Calbi said the relative lack of potholes in the village is due to the investment made last year in completing numerous paving projects.

“The village put forth a major effort budget-wise with infrastructure,” said Calbi. “They completed miles of road this year and that has a great effect on how many potholes we have had to fill.”

Other such routine maintenance includes the cleaning of catch basins and performing additional cleanups of the roadways beyond leaf season.

In past years, the end of leaf season and the beginning of snowy weather have occurred back-to-back, but a dearth of snow has allowed the village to perform extra sweeps post-leaf collection to pick up extra debris.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/weather/lack-of-snow-precipitating-positives-1.1492234