Tag: Village of Ridgewood

Posted on by — 11 Comments

The proposed ordinance change that started the fire…..

unnamed-1

VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD NOTICE OF PENDING ORDINANCE ORDINANCE NO. 3470 The ordinance published herewith was introduced and passed upon first reading at a Regular Public Meeting of the Village Council of the Village of Ridgewood, in the County of Bergen, New Jersey held on March 11, 2015. It will be further considered for final passage, after public hearing thereon, at a Regular Public Meeting of said Village Council to be held in the Courtroom of the Ridgewood Village Hall 131 N. Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ on April 8, 2015 at 8:00 PM., and during the week prior to and up to and including the date of such meeting, copies of said ordinance will be made available at the Village Clerk’s Office in said Village Hall, 131 N. Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ to the members of the general public who shall request the same. Heather A. Mailander Village Clerk VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD ORDINANCE NO. 3470 AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND CHAPTER 3, ARTICLE VIII OF THE CODE OF THE VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD ENTITLED “RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS” BE IT ORDAINED by the Village Council of the Village of Ridgewood, County of Bergen, State of New Jersey that: Section 1. The Code of the Village of Ridgewood is hereby amended by changing the wording of Chapter 3, Article VIII, of the Code of the Village of Ridgewood entitled “Residency Requirements” as follows: ADD SECTION 3-57: REQUIRED RESIDENCY A. All officers and employees of the Village of
Ridgewood initially employed or appointed in the Police and Fire Departments with the entry-level titles of police officer and firefighter, from and after the effective date of this article, shall be bona fide residents of the Village of Ridgewood. B. Any officers and employees who are otherwise exempted by law or hold classified titles, which include both competitive and noncompetitive titles, other than the entry-level titles of police officer and firefighter, within the Police and Fire Departments, shall not be subject to this regulation. C. A “bona fide resident,” for the purposes of this article, is a person having a permanent domicile within the Village of Ridgewood which has not been adopted with the intention of again taking up or claiming a previous residence acquired outside of the Village of Ridgewood’s boundaries. SECTION 3-58: ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS Applicants eligible for appointment to an entry-level position of employment in the titles of police officer and firefighter in the Police and Fire Departments in the classified civil service shall be limited to residents of the Village of Ridgewood. SECTION 3-59: ALTERNATIVE HIRING A. Whenever the governing body or appointing authority shall determine that there cannot be recruited a sufficient number of qualified Ridgewood residents for the entry-level titles of police officer and firefighter in the Police and Fire Departments, the Village shall advertise for other qualified applicants. The Village or the hiring authority thereof shall thereupon classify all qualified applicants for such positions or employments so determined in the following manner: (1) Residents of Bergen County; (2) Residents of the State of New Jersey. B. In the case of classified titles, which include both competitive and noncompetitive titles and employments other than the entry-level titles of police officer and firefighter within the Police and Fire Departments, the Village shall advertise for qualified applicants. The Village shall open all classified titles (both competitive and non-competitive), other than the entry-level titles of police officer and firefighter, to residents of the State of New Jersey, with no other residency requirements. C. No current nonresident officer or employee shall be required to become a bona fide resident of the Village of Ridgewood as a condition of their continued employment. D. Employment in the Fire Department shall be governed specifically by the provisions of N.J.S.A. 40A:14-10.1a. Employment in the Department of Police shall be governed specifically by the provisions of N.J.S.A. 40A:14-123.1a. DELETE: SECTION 3-60: EXCEPTIONS Whenever the Village Council or the hiring authority of the Village shall determine that there are certain specific positions and employments requiring special talent or skills which are necessary for the operations of the Village and which are not likely to be found among the residents of the Village, such positions or employment so determined shall be filled without reference to residency. The criteria for employment pursuant to this section shall be established from time to time as the need arises by resolution of the Village Council. Section 2. This ordinance shall take effect immediately upon passage and publication as required by law.

Posted on by — 3 Comments

Ridgewood moves closer to municipal budget introduction

imgres-11

April 6, 2015    Last updated: Monday, April 6, 2015, 9:34 AM
By Mark Krulish
Staff Writer |
The Ridgewood News

Budget season continued in Ridgewood with village officials gathering for the second of three public budget meetings on March 22 to resume discussion of departmental needs for the upcoming fiscal year.

Among the changes made in the weeks between the first and second budget meeting was a reduction in the capital budget of approximately $700,000, which brings the current number to $3,194,000.

These talks will be taken up again at 5 p.m. on April 6 in a third public budget meeting. Discussion will include more concrete numbers for each department as well as the revenue side of the budget, said Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld. The village is targeting April 22 as the date for introducing the budget.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-officials-detail-spending-plans-1.1303442

Posted on by — 6 Comments

Reader wonders if the proposed change to the law is contemplated as part of a larger plan to politicize our system of local government

DSCF3241

So, based on the diligent detective work by Councilwoman Knudsen, we learn that the current hiring scheme provides that Ridgewood-based applicants are to be preferred when all of the top candidates are equally qualified. This sounds reasonable. Accordingly, the burden of persuasion on whether or not to change the law should be on those who are in favor of a change.

Up until now the proponents of change have been saying that according to the current hiring scheme, the Village has not been permitted to hire better qualified candidates who live outside of Ridgewood if at least one local applicant is deemed at least minimally qualified. Now we learn that was not true. In fact, it does not take an enormous leap of faith to conclude that we were being LIED TO.

It turns out the Village has only lacked the ability to hire candidates of the SAME qualifications who live outside of Ridgewood. In other words, they have lacked the ability to discriminate against (politically undesireable?) Ridgewood residents who have the same qualifications as the best (properly politically aligned?) candidates who live outside of Ridgewood.

Why should we change the law to facilitate such a hiring practice?

One wonders if the proposed change to the law is contemplated as part of a larger plan to politicize our system of local government, which by virtue of the Faulkner Act is supposed to be completely non-partisan.

Ah yes…politics. This has been the common denominator from day one when it comes to the behavior of the Three Amigos. Why should we expect these old dogs to learn new tricks when they continue to get such great mileage out of the old ones?

Posted on by — 18 Comments

Ridgewood councilwoman wants residency rule change postponed

DSCF3241

April 4, 2015    Last updated: Saturday, April 4, 2015, 1:21 AM
By CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
The Record

RIDGEWOOD — A councilwoman is urging that a vote to revise a residency rule for hiring new employees should be indefinitely postponed.

Councilwoman Susan Knudsen wants the council’s Wednesday vote on the amendment deferred “so we make sure that we get this right” and to dispel “fundamental misunderstandings about the proposed change.”

Knudsen opposed the change during public talks last month.

The council voted in August to update its residency ordinance for civilian hires with a tier system, which the state has since determined is not permitted.

The system, which officials claim was developed to attract the best qualified candidates, was approved by the entire council.

It would have given preference for village openings to Bergen County military veterans, followed by all county residents, then residents of contiguous counties and lastly, all other state residents.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-urged-to-table-vote-on-hiring-rule-1.1302733

Posted on by — 5 Comments

Readers : Village Hiring Practices Come under Scrutiny

Village council

file photo By Boyd Loving

It’s true. Unfortunately Ridgewood residents are not paying attention. They are trusting that our elected council people are protecting them, but they are not.

Councilwoman Knudsen and councilman Sedon are the only one’s trying to protect our rights as village residents. Please go and click on the link to the previous story, then click on the link to the ustream video https://www.ustream.tv/recorded/60629688  of the April 1st council meeting. Go to minute 24:00 when councilwoman Knudsen starts to explain the run around she has been getting for a month about information she has asked for in order for her to make an informed decision before she votes April 8th on the ordinance regarding residency preference.

The rest of the council should have been upset that Knudsen was being blocked from receiving information. Instead, the village manager, the mayor and councilwoman Hauck seemed more concerned that Knudsen was speaking about this information in public. Sedon was not present at the meeting. I applaud councilwoman Knudsen for bringing this information out into the open.

What is happening with the majority of our council? Why are they always on the defensive? They should be thanking Knudsen for bringing this to light. After all, they have been following an ordinance about hiring practices that is inconsistent with the law.

All hires since Aug 2014 should be reviewed to determined if they were done according to law. Who was skipped over that should not have been? Who was hired that should not have been? Did these hires take place according to civil service rules? Instead of gushing over the village manager’s performance, let’s make sure her performance practices are according to law.

Posted on by — 12 Comments

Readers Not Happy With Village Managers Performance at Council Meeting

DSCF3162-1-300x225

file photo by Boyd Loving

Message to Ms. Sonenefeld: The hiring and firing of Village employees is certainly within your purview, but that in and of itself is no excuse whatsoever for not keeping the ENTIRE Village Council informed of your plans with respect to holding positions open in expectation of an ordinance change. Personally, I’d like to see the complete list of job applicants for those open positions, now on hold, to find out exactly who it is from Ridgewood that you don’t want to hire.

Ms. Roberta:

1. You are not an elected official. You should not insert your opinions and commentary incessantly. We are not interested in your opinions. What are you, the fourth AMIGO? Your gratuitous swipe at Ms. Knudsen last night was completely uncalled for. Councilwoman Knudsen conducted a calm and fact-filled discussion. At the end of it, you had the audacity to state that you had prepared a joke but now you didn’t feel like it. That was insulting and unprofessional. You were clearly stating that you did not like Councilwoman Knudsen’s discussion. That is just tough luck for you. You are not, I repeat YOU ARE NOT an elected official. Your opinions are not germane to any discussion. Keep them to yourself and just try to do your job.

2. You need to stop interrupting when one of our elected officials is speaking. Watching the tape, it is so distracting when you keep interjecting. Stop it. We did not elect you to represent us and we do want to hear what our elected officals have to say.

Posted on by — 13 Comments

Reader says public matters are being discussed, and decisions made, by a majority of the council in advance of the public meeting in clear Violation of the Sunshine Law

DSCF3241

First Councilwoman Susan Knudsen was told to recuse herself from a closed meeting on this subject at the suggestion of the Village Manager and now information was withheld from her about this same subject.What the hell is going on in Village Hall. Who is the employee that contact Civil Service and who directed this employee to do this, Why can’t Councilwoman Susan Knudsen have that information. Why didn’t the attorney contact the Councilwoman and speak to her about this issue instead of directing another Village employee to withhold the information. WHO IS RUNNIG THE VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD.?

The circumstance described by Ms. Knudsen demonstrates that public matters are being discussed, and decisions made, by a majority of the council in advance of the public meeting during which the discussions and decisions are supposed to take place on the record. This reduces the public meeting to the status of a charade, because the result desired by the majority has already been determined in advance! As we all had suspected, it now appears clear that the Sunshine Law has been violated. Violations of the Sunshine Law don’t just happen–they are usually undertaken when the majority wants to avoid scrutiny for something they wish to do that the public might find odious. We all owe Ms. Knudsen a debt of gratitude for sticking to her guns and airing this issue out publicly.

Posted on by — 7 Comments

Village Fees continue to Increase

imgres-11

March 31,2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Hourly meter rates in all Village lots and streets are now $.50 per hour from 10AM to 6PM,
Monday through Saturday.

Ridgewood Nj,  First it was parking with hourly meter rates in all Village lots and streets jumping to $.50 per hour from 10AM to 6PM,Monday through Saturday.

Then there was an increase in Ridgewood Parking Permits provides ‘coinless’ with annual permits issued for a calendar year coasting residents $750.  RPP are issued to Non Residents at a fee of $1,500 and require parking in the Cottage Place or Rt. 17 Park & Ride Lots.

Now the Village is moving to increase Building Department Fees .At the March 25, 2015 Village Council Meeting the proposed Building Department Fees was discussed.

Whats next garage sales, parking tickets , keeping the tax increase flat add some layers of supervisors and the spend the reserve .
Posted on by — Leave a comment

Village of Ridgewood : Easter in the Park

norther-new-jersey-easter-egg-hunt

norther-new-jersey-easter-egg-hunt

Village of Ridgewood : Easter in the Park

Sat, April 04, 2015
Time: 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Memorial Park at Van Neste Square, East Ridgewood Ave

Meet the Easter bunny under the tent and have fun in Ridgewood!

9am-11am – Breakfast with the Easter Bunny
at The Office Beer Bar & Grill
reservation required 201-652-1070.

In Memorial Park at Van Neste Square
11am-2pm
-Easter Bunny arrives at 11am-weather permitting
-Families will be able to take pictures with the Easter Bunny.
-Activities for the children in the Park* and maps available for location of the in-store activities.
FUN FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY
*Ben & Jerry’s sponsoring an “Egg Extravaganza” for ages 2-7 years.
To reserve your spot and details call
201-689-1122, www.njbenjerry.com, or stop by
104 Franklin Ave, Ridgewood, location.

For more details, please call us at 201-445-2600 or email [email protected] www.experienceridgewood.com

Posted on by — 7 Comments

Ridgewood’s Engineer Chris Rutishauser explained the pros and cons associated with automated parking structures to the village council this week

unnamed-21

unnamed-21

Ridgewood’s Engineer Chris Rutishauser explained the pros and cons associated with automated parking structures 
MARCH 27, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD — Village officials continue weighing potential solutions to the downtown’s parking paucity, and could end up turning to robots for help.

Ridgewood’s Engineer Chris Rutishauser explained the pros and cons associated with automated parking structures to the village council this week.

Village officials, who have met with representatives from the county in recent months to discuss a possible partnership on a parking garage facility, are considering an automated parking garage system at its worn lot on Hudson Street, Rutishauser said.

“It is something worth exploring, but we’re not ready to unequivocally recommend it,” Rutishauser said. “We’re enamored with the idea but we’re not ready to say this is the best thing for the village.”

In automated parking garages, cars are driven into a loading bay. When the car’s occupants leave the bay, a button is pressed, closing a glass door.

The vehicle is then scanned before a robotic pulley system carts it off to a space. For the forgetful, the scanning system can even detect pets or children.

Vehicle owners pay for parking time when they return, as the computerized, robotic mechanism retrieves the vehicle.

A conventional parking garage at the same site on Hudson Street could net the village 170 to 230 additional spaces, spread out over four parking decks and a roof. An automated garage, Rutishauser said, could hold up to 475 cars.

All of those spots would also comply with Americans with Disabilities Act standards, the village engineer said.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-considers-automated-parking-1.1297090

Posted on by — 3 Comments

Central Business District Employee Permits – CBDEP

unnamed-7

Central Business District Employee Permits – CBDEP

Monthly Central Business District Parking Permits are available for sale at Village Hall and allows parking for employees of Ridgewood businesses at the Ken Smith property or Cottage Place Lot. The fee is $80 per month. Payment may be made by check, cash or credit card.

Further information : 201/670-5500 x203

Posted on by — 1 Comment

Village seeks bidders for “2015 Road Resurfacing and Repair of Various Village Streets In the Village of Ridgewood”

garber_square_roadwork_theridgewoodblog

garber_square_roadwork_theridgewoodblog.net_

file photo Boyd Loving

Village seeks bidders for “2015 Road Resurfacing and Repair of Various Village Streets In the Village of Ridgewood”

BID NOTICE – 2015 Road Resurfacing and Repair of Various Village Streets

Sealed bid proposals will be received by the Village of Ridgewood, in the Village Hall Level Three Conference Room, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450, on Thursday, April 9, 2015, at 11:00 a.m. prevailing time, and then publicly opened and read aloud for the following project:

“2015 Road Resurfacing and Repair of Various Village Streets In the Village of Ridgewood”.

The principal items of the work of the project include: Installation of NJDOT HMA 9.5 M64 Top Course, approximately 7,500 tons; Installation of NJDOT HMA 19 M64 Base Course, approximately 1,900 tons; Installation of NJDOT DGA, 6 inches Thick, approximately 8,000 S.Y.; Thermoplastic Line Striping, 6-inch wide, approximately 10,000 L.F.; Milling 0 to 3 inches thick, 48,000 S.Y.; Topsoil and Seeding, 4 inches thick, 2,000 S.Y.; Installation of 7-inch Thick Concrete Driveway Aprons or Handicap Ramps, 1,500 S.Y.; 9-inch by 18-inch Concrete Vertical Curb, approximately 6,800 L.F.; Concrete Sidewalk, 4 inches thick, approximately 1,200 S.Y.; Bicycle Safe ECO-Grates, approximately 10 each; Repair Inlets and Manholes, 5 Each; Cast Iron Extension Frames for Inlets, 5 Each; NJPDES Storm water Management Phase II replacement curb inlet heads, Type N, approximately 5 each; Bituminous Concrete Driveway, 4 inches Thick, approximately 400 S.Y.; Reset manholes approximately 50 Each and other related work for a complete project.

Specifications and bid forms may be obtained by mail from the office of the Division of Engineering, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450, for a non-refundable fee of $50.00 per set of bid documents. Documents may be examined or picked up in person between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450, Monday through Friday. Prospective bidders requesting bid documents be mailed to them shall be responsible for providing their own postage/delivery service remuneration. No Specifications and/or Proposal forms shall be given out after 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 7, 2015.

The contractual obligation of the Village of Ridgewood under this Contract for these items is contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds from which payment for this Contract can be made.

Prices quoted must be net and exclusive of all Federal, State and Local Sales and Excise Taxes. Bids may be submitted in person or by mail prior to the bid opening, addressed to the Office of the Village Clerk. The Village assumes no responsibility for loss or non-delivery of any bid sent to it prior to the Bid opening.

Each bid must be enclosed in a sealed envelope with the name of the bidder thereon and endorsed, “2015 Road Resurfacing and Repair of Various Village Streets in the Village of Ridgewood ” and must be accompanied by the following: a certified check, cashier’s check, or Bid Bond (Schedule B), drawn to the order of the Village of Ridgewood for ten percent (10%) of the amount bid, or $20,000, whichever is less; a Consent of Surety (Schedule A); a Corporation or Partnership Statement (Schedule C); a Non-Collusion Affidavit (Schedule D); and a Statement of Responsibility (Schedule E). Any award or awards may be made at a later or subsequent time or meeting of the Village Council. All required schedules, that is Schedule A, B, C, D, E, and G, are required to be submitted on the forms attached to the bid documents. No other forms will be accepted.

The successful bidder shall comply with all applicable provisions of the Prevailing Wage Act, as determined by the New Jersey Department of Labor. All contractors, their subcontractors, and material suppliers shall comply with all applicable provisions of the Public Works Contractor Registration Act, pursuant to Public Law 1999 Chapter 238 and the Contractor Business Registration Program, pursuant to Public Law 2004 Chapter 57. Evidence of satisfactory registrations shall be submitted at the time of the bid. All bids submitted shall contain a copy of the bidder’s New Jersey Business Registration Certificate and a copy of the bidder’s Certificate of Employee Information Report.

The successful bidder shall furnish and deliver to the Village of Ridgewood a performance and payment bond in the amount of 100 percent of the accepted bid amount as security for the faithful performance of the Contract. Additionally, the successful bidder shall furnish policies or Certificates of Insurance required by the Contract. In default thereof, said checks and/or bid bond and the amount represented thereby shall be forfeited to the Village of Ridgewood as liquidated damages, not as a penalty.

Proposals submitted by Bidders and/or Bidder’s Insurance Company(ies) not chartered in the State of New Jersey, must be accompanied by proper certificate(s) from the Secretary of State, indicating that such Bidders, Bidder’s Insurance Company(ies), and/or Surety Company(ies) is (are) authorized to do business in the State of New Jersey. The Village of Ridgewood reserves the right to reject any or all bids, to waive any informalities or to accept a bid, which in its judgment best serves the interest of the Village. No bids may be withdrawn for a period of sixty-days (60) after the date and time set for the opening of bids.

“BIDDERS ARE REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF N.J.S.A. 10:5-31 et seq. and N.J.A.C. 17:27). A complete statement as to these requirements is included in the specifications.”

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Reader says Community Hospitals Do Not sue the Community they Serve

imgres-4

imgres-4

Reader says Community Hospitals Do Not  sue the Community they Serve

Three lies by the current Valley Board and Audrey at odds with the fact that they are suing the Village of Ridgewood:

1) Ethics – They say, “We are honest and fair in all we say and do.” Suing the community that built and funded Valley is honest and fair?

2) The Valley Hospital Mission Statement – “The Valley Hospital serves the community…” – see above

3) According to https://www.valleyhospitalfoundation.org/who-we-are-auxiliary-70th-anniversary“Since 1951, The Valley Hospital has existed to care for the people of our community when they need it most. The Valley Hospital opened its doors on August 8, 1951 thanks to the 450 charter members of the Women’s Auxiliary of The Valley Hospital who helped to raise $140,000, enough to fully furnish and equip a new three-floor hospital thanks to their “Third Floor Drive”. The Valley Hospital opened its doors on August 8, 1951 in Ridgewood.” How is that consistent with Valley suing the Village? Audrey is clearly only in it for the money. She should resign post haste.

Posted on by — 5 Comments

Village Council, and Board Meetings

unnamed-2
unnamed-2
file photo by Boyd Loving
Village Council, and Board Meetings 

03/24/157:30PMBoard of Adjustment Work SessionAvailable
03/25/157:30PMVillage Council Public Work SessionAvailable
03/25/157:30PMVillage Council Special Public MeetingAvailable
03/31/157:30PMBoard of Adjustment Public Meeting
04/01/157:30PMVillage Council Public Work Session
04/07/157:30PMPlanning Board Public Meeting – Village Hall Court Room
04/08/158:00PMVillage Council Public Meeting
04/14/157:30PMBoard of Adjustment Public Meeting

Meet the Manager – Tuesday, March 24th 4:30pm to 7:30pm

Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld will hold office hours for Ridgewood residents and business owners on Tuesday, February 24th between the hours of 4:30pm to 7:30pm. This is an opportunity to share your thoughts and provide input to Roberta. These sessions will be scheduled at 15 minute intervals and will be held in the Council Chambers on the 4th Floor of Ridgewood Village Hall. Please contact Beth Spinato at 201-670-5500, ext. 203 to make an appointment. Walk-ins are welcome but should realize that the schedule may already be booked. We will announce the schedule for these meetings on a monthly basis.