>Court decision clouds future of wineries in N.J.
The winter pruning began this week at Four JG’s Orchards & Vineyards in Colts Neck, where the grapes growing on 40,000 vines eventually will turn into bottles of cayuga and chambourcin wine. (Diamond, Gannett)
>Affordable housing reform: The controversy continues
The quest for affordable housing reform in New Jersey should begin anew next week with the introduction of yet another bill aimed at reforming the current system of requiring New Jersey municipalities to set aside development that is deemed “affordable” for the state’s low- and moderate-income families. Senator Raymond Lesniak (D-Union), who recently saw his latest effort to overhaul the system conditionally vetoed by Gov. Chris Christie, plans to restart the discussion by introducing an entirely new bill from the one that’s been haggled over for the past year. (O’Dea, NJ Spotlight)
https://www.njspotlight.com/stories/11/0225/0029/
>Christie study terms N.J. tax break dud
A New Jersey program designed to lure shoppers to urban centers with tax breaks has done little to prop up local economies and should be dismantled, a study released by the Christie administration Thursday said. (Fleisher, MarketWatch)
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/christie-study-terms-nj-tax-break-a-dud-2011-02-24
>Gov. Christie says N.J. pensions system could go broke by 2020
Governor Christie says that if changes aren’t made to the state pension system it will go broke by 2020. (The Associated Press)
>Jewelry Cleaning Week
Fri, February 25, 2011 – Sat, March 05, 2011
Time: 9:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Location: Joaillier, 196 E. Ridgewood Ave, Ridgewood NJ 07450
Event Description
Spring is right around the corner so open your jewelry boxes and check out what needs to be cleaned!
Joaillier is offering Free jewelry cleaning and
inspection(1 piece only).
You also get 25% off all jewelry cleaners, polishing cloths and jewelry organizers.
>Shutdown skedaddle: Congress deserted as deadline looms
By Stephen Dinan-The Washington Times
With the clock ticking to a March 4 government shutdown, you might imagine the Capitol would be buzzing with lawmakers seeking to cut deals, make impassioned speeches and do everything they could to strike a deal on spending.
You’d be wrong.
House lawmakers stayed until 4:41 a.m. Saturday to finish up a spending bill to keep the government open, and sent it over to the Senate — only to be met with an empty chamber. Senators had closed up shop two days before and went home for a 10-day break to honor George Washington’s birthday.
“We will do our work, but where is the Senate? They’re on vacation,” said Rep. Denny Rehberg, a Montana Republican and member of the House Appropriations Committee who ran part of the floor debate over cutting spending for the new health care law. “Here we are knocking up against a March 4 deadline and they’re missing the deadline again.”
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/feb/24/shutdown-skedaddle-congress-deserted-deadline-loom/
>Village Council Strikes Down Capital Request form Ridgewood Water
the Staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ- The village council has decided strike down a $4.2 million capital request to upgrade water meters for Ridgewood Water . The Utility has long argued that the upgrade was needed to give the customers a more accurate read on their water usage .
Ridgewood water serves 60,000 customers in Ridgewood , Wyckoff, Midland Park and Glen Rock .Wyckoff, along with Glen Rock and Midland Park, initiated a lawsuit over rate hikes Ridgewood Water imposed in December of 2009 and again in 2010. Water bills have increased a whooping 26 percent since December of 2009.
Ridgewood Waters current system of reading meters over the phone lines has been criticized by customers who are suspicious of its accuracy . Advances in technology have also made the current system obsolete. The utility claims a complete switch to radio meters would solve the problems.
The utility has suffered from a very poor public image in recent years with huge rate increases , annual water shortages, slow communication and questions of water quality many customers have lost confidence.
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The Ridgewood A.M. and Bergen Community College Rotary Clubs have joined forces to host a Benefit Jazz Concert from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, March 5, at the Ciccone Theater, Bergen Community College, 400 Paramus Rd., Paramus.
The concert features six top-flight jazz musicians that you would ordinarily see at the Blue Note in NYC, but our concert is close to home, involves no cover charge, costs for drinks and parking, etc. Parking at the college is free and plentiful. And the acoustics in Ciccone Theater are fantastic.
Much of the concert will be devoted to Latin jazz, one of the latest trends in the music world. The infectious beat will have all of us tapping our feet.
The concert benefits Community Blood Services, Social Service Association of Ridgewood and Vicinity, and Bergen Community College scholarships for needy students. These organizations provide essential health, human services and education for Bergen County residents.
>The job of the Bergen County Executive is to protect the county’s approximately 500,000 taxpayers.
Bergen County Executive Kathleen A. Donovan
The job of the Bergen County Executive is to protect the county’s approximately 500,000 taxpayers. Think of the taxpayers as the shareholders of a business with an annual operating budget in excess of $500 million. The shareholders entrust the executive to make certain that their money is spent wisely. They demand oversight and accountability.
To fulfill that mission I have proposed that all agencies receiving county funds be accountable, transparent and allow for appropriate oversight.
Three agencies, the Bergen County Utilities Authority, the Northwest Bergen County Sewer Authority and the Bergen County Improvement Authority are statutorily required to submit their minutes to me for review. I have already vetoed the minutes of two of these agencies citing unnecessary and excessive spending.
Other agencies will be asked to voluntarily submit to an oversight process similar to the one recently negotiated with the leadership of Bergen Community College. That process provides for the Board of Trustees meeting agendas to be submitted to the county executive 10 days in advance of the meeting and for discussion to take place over any questionable items.
If an issue in dispute cannot be resolved the item will be pulled from the agenda until an agreement can be reached. It’s that simple.
Bergen County taxpayers contribute more than 20 percent of Bergen Community’s $100 million annual operating budget. They have a right to require a level of oversight and to expect accountability and transparency. If the county were a “lender” and the college were a “borrower” the lender would demand covenants limiting the use of funds. We are simply requiring oversight.
Opponents have raised vague issues of “illegality” suggesting that the board cannot enter into a voluntary oversight process to ensure transparency and accountability. Where in the law does it say that a public agency relying on public funds to fulfill its mission cannot voluntarily be accountable? This is a bogus issue raised by individuals who undoubtedly need oversight more than most.
They also suggest that oversight and accountability will strip the college of autonomy. Well, they might be right to a limited degree. But there is a price for autonomy: you pay your own way. The college simply cannot expect to be largely funded by Bergen County taxpayers without submitting to oversight.
Academic freedom? Not an issue. It’s up to the college to set the curriculum. It’s up to the county executive to protect the taxpayers’ investment.
College Chairman E. Carter Corriston and I agree that Bergen Community has been a credit to the county and that the limited oversight we have agreed to will not in any way impact its mission.
The agreement itself is voluntary. Should the college’s Board of Trustees determine that they cannot work within the confines of transparency and accountability, they can rescind the resolution and reestablish full autonomy; less, of course, their public subsidy from the taxpayers of Bergen County
>CBO raises its stimulus cost estimate, again
By Stephen Dinan-The Washington Times
Congress‘ chief scorekeeper has again raised the cost estimate of President Obama‘s two-year-old economic-stimulus program, calculating it will end up costing taxpayers $821 billion — or $34 billion more than originally projected.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/feb/23/stimulus-price-tag-ticks-again/
>RIDGEWOOD PARKS AND RECREATION AND THE WOMEN GARDENERS OF RIDGEWOOD TO PRESENT “BATS, BATS, BATS” WITH EXPERT JOSEPH D’ANGELI
RIDGEWOOD PARKS AND RECREATION AND THE WOMEN GARDENERS OF RIDGEWOOD TO PRESENT “BATS, BATS, BATS” WITH EXPERT JOSEPH D’ANGELI Expert Joseph D’Angeli will present an education experience for Village youth with live bats and verbal lecture to explain the vital role these endangered nocturnal creatures play in virtually every environment on earth. The program is co-sponsored by Ridgewood Recreation and the Women Gardeners of Ridgewood and will be held at the Anne Zusy Youth Center in Village Hall, 131 N. Maple Avenue on Thursday, February 24th. The program will be divided into two time slots; Grades K-2 from 11 am to 12 noon, and Grades 3-5 from 12:15 to 1:15 pm. The cost of admission is $5. As seating is limited, tickets should be purchased in advance at the Recreation office at the Stable, 259 N. Maple Avenue, weekdays between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. For additional information kindly contact the Recreation office at 201-670-5560 or visit our website at www.ridgewoodnj.net/recreation.
>“Taxpayers United” Rally
Friday, February 25 at 12:00 Noon
Statehouse Annex, 125 West State Street in Trenton, NJ
In states like Wisconsin, New York, New Jersey and Indiana, the union’s political influence is being challenged like never before. Public opinion is turning against them as more and more Americans catch on to the fact that the interests of state workers and public sector unions are the enemy of taxpayers and limited government.There’s a reason the left is sending out their big guns to the protest this Friday – led by none other than AFL-CIO head Richard Trumka.
Private sector workers are outraged when they learn that their taxpayer dollars are being used to provide their public sector counterparts with better salaries and far more generous pensions and benefits.The lavish compensation packages bestowed on state workers are draining the coffers of states across the country, including right here in New Jersey where our state’s pension system has a staggering $173 BILLION liability and is heading full steam toward bankruptcy.
Governors like Scott Walker are now taking a bold stand on behalf of taxpayers, standing up to the unions and demanding that they “pay their fair share” in order to address their state’s fiscal crises.
But the union bosses know that this is a direct threat to their political power. Big government is the life’s blood that fuels the public sector unions and funds the left’s political machine. That’s why they have unleashed the hordes in Wisconsin. And it’s why the CWA and the AFL-CIO will be out in force on Friday in Trenton.
>N.J. businesses praise Christie’s proposal for $690M in tax cuts
New Jersey business advocacy groups cheered Gov. Chris Christie’s state budget Tuesday, expressing satisfaction with his strategy for creating “a better environment to start and grow a business.” (Kwoh and Rizzo, The Star-Ledger)
https://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/02/nj_businesses_to_get_690m_in_t.html
>No increases for bus, rail fares in Christie’s budget
NJ Transit riders got some good news from Gov. Chris Christie’s proposed state budget: no fare increase. (Higgs, Asbury Park Press)
>Christie challenges Democrats on making N.J. workers pay more for health benefits
Gov. Chris Christie’s message to Democrats today was clear: Make state workers pay more for health benefits or be the reason thousands of residents don’t get more property tax relief. (Gibson and Friedman, The Star-Ledger)
https://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/02/nj_democrats_react_to_gov_chri.html
