Reader says the Ridgewood municipal is budget is well managed and the BOE budget is where the runaway spending is
Do you want to base your conclusions on the faulty FAC report and ignore the fact that the Village provides more services at a lower municipal mil rate than all of the other towns I referred to in my post as #20 that is fine. None of the towns listed there provide garbage pickup, fully staffed fire services, recreation services for kids and seniors or a sewage treatment facility for their residents, that is a fact, and. How that is a union talking point is beyond me.
You claimed that I am only providing half of the story and I am leaving out the property taxpayer’s perspective,” I am a taxpayer, and have been a taxpayer in Ridgewood for many years. If anything is only providing half the story it’s your FAC report. It only tells half the story since it does not even consider the cost to the residents for the Board of Education (BOE). If your report included the BOE then I would have to agree that the largest portion of the Village Tax bill (BOE) has been increased at an alarming rate and is not sustainable.
How do I arrive at that conclusion? Here is the 2011 Bergen County property tax data showing the town – County – total tax levy – % County Taxes – % School Taxes % – Municipal taxes. This is the latest year available on the NJ.com by the numbers web site. There are 70 Municipalities in Bergen County. Below are 18 municipalities that have an equal or greater percentage of their municipal taxes dedicated to the school budget like Ridgewood. The other 51 municipalities have a lower percentage than Ridgewood dedicated to their school budget and a higher percentage number dedicated to their municipal services. Ridgewood’s municipal tax levy is lower than the other 51 Municipalities in Bergen county and is even below the state calculated average of 29%. You can draw your own conclusions from this data however this data clearly shows that the Village municipal budget is very well managed as contrasted with other Bergen County Communities and the overall state average. It also indicates that BOE budget is out of control and unsustainable.
Town – County – tax levy – % County – % BOE – % Municipal
Ridgewood Village Bergen $130,248,198.77 10% 65% 25%
Closter Borough Bergen $42,254,879.89 11% 65% 25%
Demarest Borough Bergen $27,942,242.71 10% 68% 21%
Franklin Lakes Borough Bergen $62,617,871.06 14% 69% 17%
Glen Rock Borough Bergen $59,596,958.87 9% 70% 21%
Harrington Park Borough Bergen $21,819,633.46 10% 69% 22%
Hillsdale Borough Bergen $41,482,921.52 10% 70% 20%
Midland Park Borough Bergen $27,063,090.79 10% 65% 25%
Oakland Borough Bergen $54,044,047.52 9% 65% 26%
Old Tappan Borough Bergen $29,120,723.48 13% 71% 16%
Park Ridge Borough Bergen $35,601,710.17 10% 66% 24%
Ramsey Borough Bergen $72,773,675.42 11% 67% 22%
River Edge Borough Bergen $43,666,177.86 9% 65% 26%
River Vale Township Bergen $43,739,302.11 10% 68% 22%
Tenafly Borough Bergen $86,534,847.47 10% 65% 25%
Upper Saddle River Borough Bergen $46,413,818.76 13% 69% 18%
Waldwick Borough Bergen $37,118,536.98 9% 68% 23%
Westwood Borough Bergen $40,321,173.87 11% 60% 30%
Woodcliff Lake Borough Bergen $38,129,520.22 12% 66% 22%
Statewide total $25,643,843,500.01 18% 52% 29% of 567 municipalities
https://www.nj.com/news/bythenumbers/
This information confirms that the Ridgewood municipal is budget is well managed and the BOE budget is where the runaway spending is since the Ridgewood BOE takes a higher percentage of the total tax bill than 51 other Bergen county municipalities. The FAC report ignores this fact, and therefor is even more faulty than I originally thought.
Ok lets take this nonsense one issue at a time. #49 said.
Since there seems to be quite a bit of ‘venom’ from the “I am more superior than you” mouthpiece, lets set a few facts straight.
I am not a union member. I manage multi- million dollar retirement accounts for individuals
Unions cause inflation. When they are representing those whose skills do not warrant pay increases, they force businesses to cave into pressure when they threaten to strike. That forces businesses to raise prices to pay those who do not deserve a raise. They use the same strikes to force the company to provide Cadillac health plans. Company is forced to raise prices.Public sector unions cause taxes to increase. The union members in NJ simple go to ‘binding arbitration’ and arbitrator awards ‘parity’ with the most recent high paying contract. This is why we have overpaid police in NJ………
Interesting but only partially right. Any increase in the cost of goods or services causes inflation. Rising energy prices cause inflation as well as the increase of the price of food, clothing and housing, just to name a few. The labor force is just like any other commidity. When you have a low unemployment rate the value (hourly rate) of an employee goes up and when you have high unemployment the value of an employee goes down. For example McDonald’s workers are netting $300 bonuses just to sign on to work in Dickinson, North Dakota, an oil boom town, and if you think they are being paid minimum wage you would be wrong. Starting pay is just over pay $15 an hour just to attract employees to work there. If you have a CDL license and no criminal record, you can get a six-figure trucking job almost overnight. No unions involved! If you knew what you were talking about #49 you wouldn’t make such broad foolish statement that only unions cause inflation
Apparently a bit more than a simpleton like yourself can comprehend. Some of you minimum wage earners are there for life. I guess your happy Comrade Barry gave you a raise. Some of us figured it out long ago that punching a time clock doesn’t cover the expenses. I can press a buy sell order on my computer, sell a few securities, and in about 30 seconds make more than your net worth. Again, the next time I say LARGE FRIES don’t give me onion rings dummy!
Another clueless post.
Wages go down? WHERE? What planet are you on?
Truckers making 6 figures? try $20 per hour
Stop making your pro union statements.
I guess you’re one of the many know-it-all money managers who wants there 2 points and cant even beat the Vanguard SP500 index fund!
TALK ABOUT BEING CLUELESS
#53 Said – Truckers making 6 figures? try $20 per hour
I guess you don’t read the news much, this has been going on since 2011….where do you live under a rock. Below are just a few examples of $20.00 an hour truck drivers making $80,000.00 to $100,000.00 2 years ago.
I bet I have managed my funds everyday way better than you could on your best day. Time to pick up a news paper and READ IT.
USA TODAY – 8/28/2011
If you have a license and no criminal record, you can get a six-figure trucking job almost overnight. Real estate construction is almost as frenzied as the oil drilling, and there’s even a huge business in housing the workers who don’t have housing.
https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/economy/story/2011-08-27/Unemployed-Go-to-North-Dakota/50136572/1
CNN MONEY 10/20/2011
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Believe it or not, a place exists where companies are hiring like crazy, and you can make $15 an hour serving tacos, $25 an hour waiting tables and $80,000 a year driving trucks.
https://money.cnn.com/2011/09/28/pf/north_dakota_jobs/index.htm
Truck Drivers Wanted ($100 000 +) North Dakota Oil Fields
Posting ID : B1005295992
Date Posted : 2011-07-12
Group : Transportation Jobs
Serious Inquiries Only. Please call for more information 630-803-9110
Looking for experienced over the road drivers to go to North Dakota oil fields. This opportunity is for experienced tanker drivers, who are looking to make a lot of money! The harder you work, the more you make. If you have heard about this opportunity, it is true! We are looking for hard working Owner Operators, or drivers who are willing to have a lease to own option. If you have been looking for a GREAT OPPORTUNITY, this is it! Family owned company, who is looking for business partners who want to make a lot of money. This is an opportunity of a life time!!
-Must have Class A CDL with tanker endorsement (hazmat, doubles and triples a plus)
-Must have 2 years minimum over the road experience
-Must have ability to be away from home 24 days/month or longer
-Opportunity for $100,000 plus annual income
-5 days/week 12 hours/day minimum
https://www.pandahi.com/1005295992.html
Time to pick up a news paper and READ IT.
Simpleton, really, I must have struck a nerve there. If, as you falsely claim, you could sell a few securities, and in about 30 seconds make more than my net worth, you wouldn’t be spending your time crying here about your insignificant property taxes. So logic would tell us your a liar. Now that I have exposed you for what you are go away little boy I have wasted enough of my time on you. And the next time your serving me at Jean-Georges in the city, when I say water with no ice… I mean no ice.
sorry Property Taxes are enormous making the whole area are uncompetitive to live , you lose your argument simply by insisting that taxes are somehow “normal” or ok , or low or you get what you pay for , we are paying for Rolls Royces and getting maybe Chevy’s at best
The reason I have money is I don’t waste it. Just because I have it doesn’t mean union employees are going to get it either. And I’ll give it all away before I let the big nanny tax hungry government redistribute it. Its above your comprehension level since you’re an hourly clock puncher. Hopefully you’ll still be bagging those fries with your new minimum wage increase(if you don’t get your hours cut back).Now go back to your computer in mommy’s basement and don’t press ‘post’ until you have something coherent to add to the dialogue.
#58, You really did go to school on the short yellow bus didn’t you! If you weren’t so happy living on welfare you would pick up your sorry ass and go to where the money is, but Nooooo it’s better to sit on your fat lazy ass and complain about everything. I wasn’t the dumbass that said truck drivers can only make 20 dollars an hour….time to stand up on your own two feet and do some real work and turn that damn TV off.
#58
I know your type. You think you have to prove to everybody your a big shot. Expensive home, expensive cars, high end furniture, the latest and greatest electronic gadgets. To the casual viewer your successful. That is until we look past the façade. You have had a student loan so long it might as well be a family pet. Those expensive cars you have, you know the one you drive so you can impress someone you don’t even know at a stop light who could care less that you have an expensive car. Yea, those cars, you don’t own them you lease them, the most expensive and stupid way to drive a car. Then there is your house, you bought more than you should have so you could impress your family and friends, look at me I am successful, of coursed it’s heavily mortgaged. You have credit cards that you maintain balances on and pay insane interest rates because you don’t have the discipline to say if I can’t pay for it with cash then I will not buy it. Your a child in an adults body, when you want something you want it now, and if you have to borrow or put it on a credit card to get it that’s fine. Your always comparing yourself to others who are more successful than you and you look down on people who you think are beneath you. You are never satisfied with what you have your always looking for more. Yea I know you, and behind that look at me bull crap your a loser and you will always be a loser because you place more value on things than you do people.
Are you making reference to those individuals with a handicap in a bus?
Are you so out of ideas and that hollow space in the cranial cavity does not allow a thought process ? Its quite apparent the absence of grey matter has left you with a severe case of cranial rectal inversion.
You should be ashamed of yourself for making reference to those people you sick puppy.
I don’t have any loans unlike you phonies here in town.
Sorry wrong argument…AGAIN.
BRAVO #60
Absolutely right, we should stop transferring wealth from young to old by getting rid of lower tax rates on capital gains, dividends and carried interest. Tax them at 40% like we tax high income earners. Why should a young guy earning a salary and paying 40% be subsidizing an old-timer who owns stocks and bonds and only only pays 20% on his dividends and capital gains ? It’s generational theft and it should stop.
No sure what you are referring to ? Average equalized values in Ridgewood for property tax purposes are -12% since 2007:
2013 $686,994
2012 $760,826
2011 $773,745
2010 $800,317
2009 $811,770
2008 $814,155
2007 $779,335
Meanwhile, since 2007, average property taxes in Ridgewood have risen +22% from $13,265 to $16,240, mainly to pay for higher wages, pensions & healthcare, and despite the fact that we slashed 10% of the Village workforce in 2010 in areas like parks & recreation, snow removal and shade trees. Where are you seeing the runaway prices in Ridgewood ?
What greed for municipal pensioners to be complaining about paying school taxes in Ridgewood ! Our kids are the ones who will end up paying for most of the absurd promises we’ve made to you because you pigged out so much on wages, pensions & healthcare when you knew better. You’ve got everything you’ve asked for, so at least give our kids a chance to earn enough money to live and pay for your largess ! They won’t get anything from social security, and if we’re already being taxed to death I shudder to think how bad it will get for them. You should thank them for their future taxes to pay for your extravagant benefits today. Poor kids.
#61 said…..Are you making reference to those individuals with a handicap in a bus? You should be ashamed of yourself for making reference to those people you sick puppy.
I do believe it was you who said “Well ftard, look in the Bergen record” in your post #57. And I distinctly recall your making fun of the people who work at fast food establishments. I just assumed you learned that from being on the short bus. No educated person would talk that way.