photos courtesy of Boyd Loving
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, it was a grim night at Village Hall last night as residents and municipal employees braced for furloughs of Ridgewood Municipal employees . Ridgewood public works employees, residents and United Public Service Employees Union official Mark McCart gave a vigorous defence of village workers during the public comment period.
Mayor Paul Vagianos told the very tense room that there will be no furloughs .The Village Council moved money from the capital budget to the operating budget. avoiding leaving the Village with very high taxes and no services .
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Moving funds from the capital budget – which streets will remain with potholes as a result?
Pick your poison. Taxes, furloughs, potholes. You can’t avoid all of them. It’s called “math.”
The streets are horrible – potholes and terrible repaving work from PSE&G.
South Pleasant Ave was pristine, then some genius had to dig up the entire street, and the repaving is 3rd world.
The streets should be the priority NOT another ballfield
So grateful that there are no furloughs. But Paul Vagianos acting like the great almighty Santa Claus was sickening.
Lorraine explained that the $500k for the effing Schedler field could be moved to the kingsbridge bridge and to sidewalks on West Glen. But, no. Gotta have that field
Sidewalks on Glen are in on most of one side and a bit on the other…enough for people to walk up and down. Don’t need anymore. It’s a waste of money. Not a sports parent, but I’m fine with supporting more fields for kids to play on. Better a park than more concrete.
Finish the sidewalks!!!!!
Sidewalks to nowhere don’t help anyone. Sidewalks help everyone walk more safely…. adults, children, seniors, the handicapped, the temporarily disabled, moms with strollers, amazon drivers, ups, door dash… Don’t compare sports fields and sidewalks, they have nothing in common. Sidewalks are basic suburban features and are desperately needed on busy streets. Walking is healthy for everyone, sidewalks can save on bussing costs allowing children to walk safely to school, can help the environment if people can walk to to the bus or train, sidewalks encourage people from cities who are used to walking everywhere to buy houses in our town. Sidewalks on busy streets are a win win!
So how are the going to pay for Shedler now?
Taxes are ruining this town and State. We need greater productivity and less administrative bureaucracy. They need to make smart cuts in personnel and programs.
The union leaches have been sucking blood from not only Ridgewood but the state as a whole. Their way over paid and walking away with a pension funded by taxpayers that don’t have one is absurd.
It’s long overdue that this strong arming by the union ilk stop. Look at this cat with the sign…really? And as usual the va jay jay folds at the drop of a hat. Thanks for nothing Paul. You’re going to be out just as fast as you weaseled your way in. And you can take your pink suit with you.
guess it isn’t always fun to wear the crown
The fact that the Village Council can continue to push their agenda on Schedler, something only certain individuals want, is outrageous when there are health and safety concerns that are highlighted that should be a real concern from a human rights perspective. This is not like playing the game of Monopoly. These are real issues with real consequences that can hurt people. as residents around Schedler have been stating. However, It is all this Village Council cares about and when the only Council member with a brain brings up moving funds to ensure that sidewalks are fixed, other items concerning safety, the rest of them just sit there and get defensive. It is shock and awe from a perspective of doing the right thing.
Paul Vagianos wasted time, resources, and energy on his “plan” to furlough Village workers for 5 days. What an embarrassment to Ridgewood. One of the wealthiest communities in the State and Country. We pay higher taxes here to enjoy a finer quality of life in a nice community that is taken care of in part by our respectable Village workforce.
Paul Vagianos is biased in many ways towards some Village employees and that is clearly evident based on his actions and public comments even to a layperson like me. Vagianos turned this into a spectacle and a political stunt, and finally tries to paint himself as the “hero” at last nights Council Meeting. Everyone sees right thru him and his antics. It’s going to be a distasteful term of service for most of this crew.
His restaurant is currently in code violation for having the canopy structure for outdoor dining right on the edge of the curb. Ordinance states 2.5 feet to allow cars in the 3 parking spaces in front of his restaurant the ability to open the passenger side door. Unreal this is our mayor
How about using all that donated money they receive.
Yes where did the healthbarn money go? Millions of dollars went into healthbarn who made $$$ money off our tax dollars. Where did it go?????
Do the field next year.
Yeah, I hate to burst everybody’s bubble, but you can’t move funds from the capital budget to the operating budget. The operating budget is ongoing, annual expenses. It is solely derived from tax payments. The capital budget is all borrowing through municipal bonding. The capital budget is for one-time large expenditures and special projects. All those municipal bonds get added to the annual debt service and is paid down for the life of the bond plus the day’s going interest rate. Debt service is part of the operating budget strung out over 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 year municipal bonds. Basically the capital budget can’t be used to pay salaries and benefits because they are ongoing annual expenses.
Even if these dopes submit this new budget the state, which must approve all municipal budgets, will reject this budget on the aforementioned grounds.
So this whole show is to get people and employees to stop coming to meetings to argue their case. In a few weeks when the state rejects this budget they will quietly reinstate the furloughs and pass the budget without such a contentious meeting. Then furloughs will be announced after they have been approved in a revised budget.
Nice trick.
No kidding here children, but where was the outrage when Knudsen AND Hache raised the municipal portion the same or more in order to give her kids new police cars to ride around in and other pet projects.
Stop the fake outrage and keep your eye on the ball where 66%!of our taxes go…the Board of Education.
Sorry, the biggest tax increase under either mayor was 3 percent, and that was the biggest tax increase in 10 years during the depths of COVID. The others were between 0 percent and 2 percent.
This crew howled like the world was ending at that time. Now they deliver a 4.5 percent tax increase.
The bait and switch is claiming they can move funds between the capital and operating budgets.
How about using the GARBAGE CAN money and just use the old garbage cans that are in storage.
How about feed the front lines and Healthbarn millions in grants. Where did that money go????
Who’s the dude with the placard ?
This is a town where if you look behind the veil you will see the chinks in the proverbial armor. This VC is the coldest bunch of actors I have ever seen with the exception of Lorraine Reynolds who seems to be the only logical one and has real insight on how to prioritize the right things for the town, like health and safety for its residents, not the ridiculous machinations of the people playing with other people’s money for their own advancement. If we could clone Lorraine, we would have a normal council, but instead we have to put up with these bullies who parade around with fake smiles like in high school where they have secret meetings and agendas and push their agenda. And yes, they have been mean to Heather too. Paul, Evan, Siobhan and the almighty Pam with her death stare only care about is their mega field and deliver this monstrosity to the sports machine (great term used by a speaker during public comments and couldn’t have coined a better term myself). Previously they said that calling them sports families was pejorative…So in reality, they only took furlough off of the table because all of the Village staff showed up and they were scared. they don’t actually care about one bit and they probably all sleep very well at night. But if I was a betting person, they will cram that field down everyone’s throats if it is the last thing they do.
Build a field at scheduler. Put hellbarn there. Build beautiful houses on Habernickel ( and change the damn name ) and collect tens of thousands in taxes. Simple
This shit is going to hit the fan in a few weeks, didn’t I tell you a few days ago look what’s going on in Paterson. The state is watching the village Blackhawk they know 30 business is going on the talk on the street as they will be taking over, if they don’t get their shit in order. Here comes the attorney general. Open up the books.
To the person who said “Build a field at scheduler. Put hellbarn there. Build beautiful houses on Habernickel ( and change the damn name ) and collect tens of thousands in taxes. Simple” First why don’t you learn how to spell. It is Schedler, not scheduler (that is a calendar planner). Second, why not further educate yourself prior to making ignorant comments. I am sure, with your wealth of insight, you’ll run for council next, right?
Why didn’t you correct the healthbarn spelling also? Or is your ignorant mind just one track…sheduler. Just saying since you are the spelling police!!!
Whoops must be spell check because I tried to write Shedler.
Ware did all the Covid money go. Didn’t the village receive around 16’ million, or was that bull ‘ anyone know.
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Well
Twice I’ve lost my job to India.
Those were real furloughs.