the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Is possible that Ridgewood services will have to be cut, or taxes be raised to pay for the garage. The Village Councils’ former financial projections were erroneous, it turns out. They are shocked that they made such a glaring error.
The council is not certain that raising rates to $1.25 an hour would deter people from parking in Ridgewood. They are considering three different options for raising rates; in some places 75 cents an hour and $1.25 in other places.
Another option: One dollar an hour every place; or third option, $1.25 every place.
It seems the former projections of kiosks yielding high enough money, payment, to cover garage were totally incorrect. Toward the end of the meeting, the discussion becomes heated.
What’s the problem well, according to CFO Bob Rooney the new kiosks have not been in service long enough to use revenue data in budgeting.
The parking plan rested on the idea that the new kiosks would increase revenue over metered parking significantly.
The council pursued a slow rollout of kiosks, but now that measured application of new technology may push the village into a serious dilemma .
Many critics of the Hudson garage believed this would be the result. Ridgewood government is usually prone to errors in its financial projections. Why, because as many suggest like most politicians, council members are vain, ambitious for their own personal success and stupid, completely ignorant about how to calculate mathematical projections that deal with uncertainty.
While we are more prone to give focus on the village budgeting process and Village finance personnel not making these factors clear.
A critic of the project says , “The council members vanity and ambition to be the council who finally builds the great garage blinds them to the truth about how much it will cost and if the cost can be covered without cutting services to residents or raising taxes or both.”
Well, well, well. Maybe Paulie the Greek and the Chamber can help out the Village.
Most meters I park at are broken.
Raise the tax rate for the commercial property owners who benefit from the garage.
I pay my residential taxes and don’t shop here.and I won’t.
Paying once via parking app I got dinged .65 since I didn’t have a quarter.
I got to the mall with more choices or Glen Rock since it’s free
One less CFO should help to shore up this white elephant’s deficiencies.
1, cost savings will be curbside sanitation .
2, Bidding out recycling because the cost of recycling is not what it used to be in revenues.
3 , Illuminate all supervision change over to Working part time crew leaders.
4 , Illuminate fireworks on Fourth of July.
5 , How about stop construction on the project immediately. And make it back into the regular parking lot which can be done at this time. The Hudson Street parking lot needed to be reconstructed anyway so what this time it can be reduced to a regular parking lot.
6 , Villager Ridgewood has a AAA bond rating. So money right now was very cheap tomorrow. The rumor on the street was informed that they did borrow a lot of money already is it true or not I’m sure it will come out eventually.
To the idiot who says they should raise commercial taxes because you prefer to shop at the mall, why did you even choose to live in Ridgewood? Your type of thinking does nothing for nobody and doesn’t help the village in any way. Go live in a place with no downtown, restaurants and make do with strip malls and the GS Plaza – please!
Unless you are putting lights on it, the word is eliminate, not illuminate!
We agree with the postop top stop construction immediately then. How can we go further if we do not have the funds. Stop stop stop at once. This is crazy. Especially at times that we are talking about investing More money into the library. I think we need to get off on artisan order right now. This is an emergency.
Well Maybe we should look at the overall costs of the Knudson family and see if we can cut there. She turned her back on helping to stop the approvals of these projects, but not before she made sure her family was on the payroll. Let’s look closely.
Houston we have a big big problem here. How is the village going to address this major issue. Do they continue construction on this big parking garage and put the village in financial disaster. Or do the top officials stop construction at once and make a parking lot like it was in the past. And the village will not be in a financial disaster. Why should we the taxpayers pay for a parking garage that most of us will not be utilizing. People we all know who is going to be utilizing this site out of towners that will pay to have their car parked at the site to use mass transit. And remember all these condo sites that are being built where do you think all their guests are going to park yes at the parking garage. The villages is in a big dilemma. Remember 15 years ago With village hall construction, and buying the horse property land up on Hillcrest Road. And a few other bad investments. They should go to an immediately emergency vote.
First, parking garages and mass housing were pushed by gang of three, not Knudson. During that era any “facts” that got in the way of a project were deliberately ignored. Second, unless we decide we want nothing but nail salons in town we need parking. My Dad was on the planning board on the 60s and this was understood but no one could decide where to build it. Without parking commercial district may as well shut down – retail vs Amazon is hard enough. So let’s not even think about increasing costs/taxes on commercial business. Retailers have choices too – you may recall EMS on Route 17 closing when landlord raised their rent. Been empty for 3 years since. Do we really want a downtown filled with empty storefronts?
I am not saying spend money like drunken sailors (sort of a Villiage tradition over the years I have lived here). Instead run the Villiage like your home – prioritize and spend on what is most important based on what you can afford. And dont move on a project that isn’t really needed – how many bikes have you seen on our bike path under the underpass at cost depending who you talk to of $50-80K?
Contracts have likely been signed and it would likely be very costly to terminate.
Election Day will be our opportunity to respond.
Unfortunately taxpayers will take the hit from the foolish financial decisions of the current council.
New council members are needed.
How much money comes in the parking authority on an yearly basis.
It Should be close to 1 million
If rear-yard garbage collection is eliminated, I will be forced to move. This was a premise on which we bought the house.
The present council is at fault for passing parking garage not knowing the financial facts. Kiosks should have been installed First to see if they indeed were profitable. The current council did not have to pass the garage. I was not for it. They increased the spots at the train station; and could have increased spots at Hudson Lot . They did it carelessly. If it was their own money they would have installed kiosks first to see. They play fast and loose with my tax dollar The present council should personally pay for any shortfall along with the business owners like Damiano and Vagianos who begged for the parking garage. A contract could have been made with the business owners that they would make up any shortfall that kiosks didn’t produce. But no, the council rushed to build on uncertainly. What stupid, ignorant vain people.
Agreed. They should have installed the Kiosks and increased the rates before approving the garage. Thereby having confidence in having sufficient revenue to pay for the garage. In addition it would have been interesting to see the opposition and the likely reduced parking demand in advance.
Some may actually believe another garage will be built in another section of the CBD. To fund a second garage, meter rates will likely need to be $3+per hour. Too bad only a few nearby restaurants will actually benefit from the Hudson Street garage.
NOT TO WORRY !!!
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We’ll fund it.
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We are RICH and STUPID
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You lazy bastards bring your sanitation can to the curb. Bring your recycling cans to the curb. Bring your yard waste to the curb. You bring your cleanup to the curb. You bring your Christmas tree to the curb you blow out your leaves onto the curb line. So why can’t you bring your garbage cans to the curb I can’t figure this out. Everything else you bring to the curb. Why would you want any employee in your backyard that’s your privacy. If they fall on your property because you did not shovel your snow, or put salt down on ice, or they just tripped because you have a pothole in your driveway or sinkhole in your lawn guess what dummy you are responsible that’s a lawsuit.