Last year our municipal tax increase was well below the cap at under 1%. This year, the BOE is proposing an end run around the 2% cap, asking for a 3.62% increase. That’s 2/3 thirds of our property tax bills right there. So if you’re worried about taxes, you need to attend more BOE meetings and make your complaints there. The Village Council has no jurisdiction over the BOE budget unless it gets voted down. And since we voted away our right to vote on the BOE budget, that cannot happen. How much do you want to bet you don’t remember that vote? But you do know how to complain.
I’ve attended the Budget discussion last night. As a recent addition to Ridgewood the whole experience was new to me and here are some take-aways:
1. The YoY Budget increase is driven by c. 14% spike in personnel medical insurance / benefits costs
2. According to our host, medical expenses have been going up .c 6-13% every year for the past 5 years
3. We as tax payers don’t have a say which medical benefits plan or provider is chosen
4. We can’t vote on the Budget
…which begs the question why we bothered…
Nonthelesss the meeting was engaging and both the hosts and the trustees cane scross well informed and forthcoming. Lots of good questions from the attendees too, although the crowd was a bit thin (less than 20 ppl?) Maybe that’s why the Budget is so aggressive?
Could be, 4:01. But maybe turnout was light because most people, having looked at it in the last few weeks, simply don’t agree with you that the budget is aggressive. To imply that the BOE is involved in some money grab because people aren’t paying attention is obnoxious.
The last time the town voted down the school budget (some years ago; previous council) the council nearly panicked and basically gave it a slap on the wrist. Residents were incensed. So even that lost process was not much of a remedy for outlandish spending on the wrong things.