The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Trenton NJ, New Jersey State Senator Declan O’Scanlon, Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger, and Assemblywoman Victoria Flynn (Monmouth – R’s) are calling for an immediate special hearing by the State Legislature to investigate and find solutions to the ongoing issues plaguing New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit).
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Trenton NJ, Noting that Governor Phil Murphy has repeatedly cited and exercised vast executive authority to respond to the current public health emergency, Senator Steven Oroho (R-24) called for the governor to abandon consideration of a 9.3 cent/gallon gas tax increase that was announced by the Treasury Department on Friday.
Yes , everyone payes taxes but it is the long time residents who are burdened with the annual tax increases. Were you around when Ridgewood had the bright idea of adding a pool to the high school so the snowflakes did not have to travel to the YMCA? Fortunately, common sense prevailed and the pool was voted down. Not everyone has a bottomless bank account.
Take a look at the curriculum and see where some non-essential classes could be eliminated.
The all-knowing Board of Education eliminated shop class and an auto mechanic class a number of years ago because the residents thought these classes were below “Ridgewood educational standards ” and “decreasing enrollment”. These career paths can lead to financial independence as young adults. But I digress…
Final thoughts…Ridgewood never had a tax increase they didn’t like and they definitely don’t believe in the term ” budget neutral”.
Steve Janoski , Staff Writer, @SteveJanoskiPublished 4:26 p.m. ET March 28, 2017 | Updated 4:53 p.m. ET March 30, 2017
Bergen County Executive James J. Tedesco III unveiled on Wednesday his 2017 budget, a $522 million spending plan that will increase county taxes by $8 on the average county home assessed at $465,962.
A nearly $413 million tax levy — an increase of 1.89 percent — will support the budget, despite Tedesco’s plan being about $20 million smaller than last year’s budget.
UPDATE ON FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN TAX IMPLEMENTATION
December 21,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, In the most recent Ridgewood Public Schools rps.eNews the Ridgewood Board of Education delivered the news that due to “unintended consequences” of the state changing school elections to November, and also state budget software restrictions, the additional $929,800 tax increase approved on the full-day Kindergarten ballot question must be collected immediately.
To rectify, the district will then lower the 2017-18 budget by $929,800, and restore that budget amount in the third year and forward. Understanding that this situation is a consequence of not updating the state statutes and codes when the school elections were shifted to November, the state will now revise the laws to eliminate this issue for other towns going forward.
file photo by Boyd Loving
April 14,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood Nj ,The Village Council introduced a $47.7 million budget Wednesday, which according to the PATCH would result in the average homeowner’s municipal tax bill going up $67.40, or 1.6 percent, if the $31.8 million tax levy is approved. Whats happened to the 0% ??
The Village council meeting on April 13th produced several proclamations .Of the several proclamations this evening, two are of interest.
April is Tree Planting Month in the Village. There was no mention of any plantings by the village, just that residents should consider planting a tree. Also that we should be mindful of our wooded areas. No mention of clear cutting the Schedler woods which would be a great place to begin.
May 1-7 is Drinking Water Week.Once again no mention of the contaminated sites which should have been remediation 8 years ago.
The Budget Presentation: We will have a Qualified Purchasing Agent on the payroll. No mention of how this job has been handled in the past and what the salary will be. There will be a tax increase of 1.6 percent ( I believe that is correct) and a budget hearing in May.
Public comment: Ellen McNamara spoke to the democratic process and the success of the petitions that have postponed the garage project with the possibility of reducing its size. Lorraine Reynolds brought up how the petitioners were maligned and treated as malcontents when in actuality they were able to inform us all about the 12-18 foot encroachment on Hudson Street and other details that would have made the garage a huge disaster for the area/ CBD not to mention that they have saved us money! Rurik Halaby chastised the petitioners as liars and against any parking garage what so ever. He prattled on and on Boyd Loving said,” Enough is enough!). As usual Mr. Hallaby’s entire statement was full of hyperbole, inaccuracies and untruths.
And of course Ordinance 3523 ( Albert’s ordinance regarding video taping at public meetings) brought about some discussion as the proper wording and ordinance # was not available to the public. Ellie Gruber stated in Public Comment that she was against the ordinance in general as it is not enforceable and it addresses a non issue since all public meetings are in the public domain and can be shared on social media, etc.
AP
New Jersey Supreme Court Associate Justices Lee A. Solomon, left, and Jaynee LaVecchia, right, listen as Associate Justice Anne M. Patterson asks a question during a hearing Wednesday, May 6, 2015, in Trenton
Taxpayers Face Tax Increase as N.J justices appear divided along partisan lines in pension battle
MAY 6, 2015, 12:45 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 2015, 11:30 PM
BY SALVADOR RIZZO
STATE HOUSE BUREAU |
THE RECORD
The state Supreme Court appeared split along ideological lines Wednesday on one of the biggest legal questions in New Jersey: Can Governor Christie ignore a pension-reform law he signed in 2011 and cut funding for the distressed retirement system?
Associate Justice Barry Albin, a veteran of the court’s liberal wing and a Democratic appointee, hammered Christie’s attorney and sounded incredulous that the Republican governor wanted to strike down a key part of his own pension overhaul. At one point, Albin suggested the courts could order a tax increase to meet pension-funding requirements.
Associate Justice Anne Patterson, a Christie appointee on the court’s conservative side, grilled the attorneys for public-worker unions suing over the funding reductions. Patterson said the courts were no place to be deciding state budget priorities and noted that Christie would have to make deep cuts to hospitals or schools in order to round up the funds missing from the pension system.
The outcome may hinge on the court’s lone independent, Associate Justice Jaynee LaVecchia. She asked tough questions of both sides and did not indicate which way she was leaning.
May 7th 2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, School taxes in the village are about to go up by more than 2 percent cap put in to effect , by Governor Christie in 2010. The cap limits increases in property taxes to 2 percent. There are several ways to get exceptions,which were pushed by Democratic lawmakers negotiating with Christie , who at the time pushed for a hard cap know on this blog as the 2 percent solution .
Towns, county governments and school boards in New Jersey can exceed the tax-hike limit for spending on debt payments, public employee benefits and response to disasters. The cap also doesn’t include many special fees that some towns levy for services such as trash removal .
Last week, the BOE adopted the district’s massive $101.2 million budget for the coming school year. According to the Bergen Record the new budget would will raise taxes over the next year by $194.65 on the average village home assessed at $690,662.That increase represents a more than 2-percent increase from last year’s tax.(https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-school-taxes-to-increase-more-than-2-percent-1.1326603 ) Click here to view the latest presentation on next year’s school budget, given at the April 27, 2015 Board of Education meeting.
Residents are reminded of the invitation to stop by for coffee and casual conversation with Board of Education members and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Daniel Fishbein on Wednesday, May 13 from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Education Center, 49 Cottage Place. All residents are invited to drop in to share their thoughts, questions, suggestions and concerns .
Also district parents and guardians have the opportunity to provide anonymous feedback to the Board of Education through the 2014-2015 satisfaction survey. The survey period runs from Tuesday, May 5 through Friday, May 15. All district parents and guardians with email addresses on file will receive an email link to the survey.
APRIL 21, 2015 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 2015, 9:22 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
The Village Council is getting ready to introduce its spending plan for the 2015 fiscal year after a final discussion last week pertaining to some items contained in the 2015 operating and capital budgets.
All five council members stated at least some support for the staff recommended budget, which calls for a 1.2 percent tax increase. A home assessed at the village average of $690,672 would see a $46.72 increase.
The budget is scheduled for introduction on April 22, while village officials are targeting May 27 for a public hearing and adoption.
One of the changes proposed in the budget is increasing the hours for senior human resources professional Sharyn Matthews from 29 to 35 hours, making her position full-time.
Councilman Michael Sedon questioned Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld as to why it was necessary to increase Matthews’ role from part-time to full-time.
Sonenfeld responded that the full-time human resources professional will work on an organizational redesign with the significant retirements the village is facing in the coming years, as well as putting a strong process in place for a performance evaluation system.
There will also be a general savings to the village in having Matthews handle responsibilities currently borne by other professionals such as the labor attorney, Sonenfeld said.
Treasurer Steve Sanzari noted that the village budgeted $60,000 for labor attorney fees, but actually spent $96,210 last year. With a full-time human resources staffer on board, $50,000 needed to be set aside.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-municipal-budget-to-be-introduced-1.1313737
April 9, 2015 Last updated: Thursday, April 9, 2015, 4:02 PM
By Darius Amos
Staff Writer |
The Ridgewood News
Emphasizing an investment in personnel and the revitalization of village services, Ridgewood finance officials this week unveiled a “recommended” spending plan that would boost 2015 municipal taxes by 1.2 percent over last year.
For the typical Ridgewood household, this budget would increase tax bills by $46.72, based on the average assessed home value of $690,662.
The proposed $47.06 million budget was one of three spending scenarios presented by Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld during a special public meeting on Monday.
Each plan calls for a tax increase, a situation that the municipality avoided while crafting budgets during the previous two years.
Sonenfeld explained that keeping taxes flat while maintaining a high level of municipal services “is hard,” particularly during years when Ridgewood is obligated to pick up certain expenses, such as increases related to police and fire department contracts. This year was no exception, she said, noting that the police department budget will increase by more than $500,000 over last year’s actual amount spent.
“We took the message that the council gave us very seriously – with tax increases you would like to see service improvements and improvements in quality of life in the town. I think we all agree with that,” said Sonenfeld, who, along with treasurer Steve Sanzari, formulated the recommended budget using previously provided input from Ridgewood’s department leaders.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/recommended-plan-would-boost-tax-bills-by-46-1.1306062