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Reader asks Were previous village managers also as active as the current one? i.e. supporting and promoting specific council members and their agenda

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I am new to Ridgewood, so here comes a newbie question –

Were previous village managers also as politically active as the current one? i.e. supporting and promoting specific council members and their agenda, and withholding information from other council members? Shouldn’t that be a politically neutral position?

I have wondered why the village manager , Roberta Sonenfeld  has been such a vocal supporter for the council.

In the past is was a low key position, the managers just did their job.

Schoenfield was a member of the self proclaimed “Tiger Team” that worked as a self-important financial advisory committee. Now we have a permanent financial advisory committee that also is active in promoting the council projects. They are intertwined and hardly objective.

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Ridgewood reviews finance report, audit results

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NOVEMBER 20, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

The village’s current financial situation and the results of an independent audit were presented to the council earlier this month as part of the series of quarterly financial updates.

The report focused on areas of the budget in which the village may fall short of expected revenue as well as comments and recommendations made by auditors for the village’s annual financial report for the year ending Dec. 31, 2014.

Village Chief Financial Officer Bob Rooney said revenue for the general fund appears to be on target, although there were a couple of areas that may present budgetary issues.

One area to keep an eye on is in the Building Department, where Rooney said new construction fell short of expectations, possibly resulting in a shortfall. The village also may come up short in administrative charges for outside police services. With a low headcount in the police department, the village is not able to provide the services it normally would, Rooney said.

Rooney also provided three budgetary expenses that need continued monitoring – attorney fees, police overtime and the maintenance of fleet in the central garage.

Mayor Paul Aronsohn asked why expenses for the central garage required additional observance. Rooney responded the village has had to send its equipment out for repairs due to limited staff, and there is a higher cost of maintaining because the equipment is older.

 

https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/town-government/quarterly-finance-report-audit-results-are-discussed-1.1459453

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FAC: “The status quo in Ridgewood is unsustainable from a financial perspective,”

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FAC: “The status quo in Ridgewood is unsustainable from a financial perspective,” 

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 19, 2014, 10:36 AM
BY  DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Now that Ridgewood and Glen Rock have scrapped plans for a shared municipal vehicle repair facility, a team of economic gurus is advising the village to step back and conduct larger studies and explore more alternatives.

In its annual report to the Ridgewood Council, the Financial Advisory Committee acknowledged that the village’s existing fleet services building on Chestnut Street is in “decrepit condition,” and options other than constructing a new facility might be available.

Over the past year, an ad-hoc committee comprised of Ridgewood and Glen Rock officials had investigated moving the public works operations of both towns to a new shared facility. Last month, however, the site of the proposed project, which is located adjacent to the village’s water treatment plant in Glen Rock, was deemed too small to meet the needs of the two municipalities.

At a council meeting last month, Roberta Sonenfeld, FAC vice chair, recognized the ad-hoc committee’s desire to move quickly on the fleet services project, but she advised that even more research is required.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/246159931_Plan_for_Ridgewood_municipal_garage__highlights_report.html#sthash.Y5PZTm5L.dpuf

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Readers says Financial Advisory Committee report and it contains inaccurate data, false assumptions

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Readers says Financial Advisory Committee report and it contains inaccurate data, false assumptions

First of all the report does not say the village should not have a paid fire dept. I have read the Financial Advisory Committee report and it contains inaccurate data, false assumptions and more important than those it has incomplete data. The people complaining about high taxes here are only telling half of the story. You don’t hear those people complaining about the higher salaries they earn here than in other states do you? And of course they are not complaining of the high property values either especially when they are going up! By a percentage ratio N.J. residents pay a similar percentage of their homes value in property taxes when compared to other parts of the country.

The state of NJ and specifically the Village provides more services (like garbage pickup, recreation services for kids, local police & Fire services, assistance and social services for seniors, just to name a few) and an overall better quality of life for the tax dollars than most of the other states. When you look at the complete picture you see those who are complaining about property taxes are focusing on only one thing and not giving you the complete picture.

These are state averages of 2012 property tax as a percentage of home value.

New Jersey $7,318 2.32%

New Hampshire $5,230 2.18%

Connecticut $5,200 1.88%

New York $5,040 1.68%

Illinois $4,469 2.28%

Vermont $4,328 1.62%

Rhode Island $3,820 1.67%

Massachusetts $3,805 1.19%

Wisconsin $3,530 2.07%

Alaska $3,290 1.28%

The state of NJ and the Village provide more services (like garbage pickup, recreation services for kids, local police, assistance and social services for seniors) and an overall better quality of life for the tax dollars than most of the other states. When you look at the complete picture you see those who are complaining about property taxes are focusing on only one thing and not giving you the complete picture.