Ridgewood council revises gift ordinance
MAY 30, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, MAY 30, 2014, 12:31 AM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
Financial donations to the municipality will still be subject to scrutiny by appropriate village officials, but a set of recently approved guidelines has modified the process in which contributions are considered.
Ridgewood Council members unanimously adopted a resolution that created a list of checks and balances when donations fall within specific monetary levels. As in the past, the village manager will enforce the rules and procedures, but now, the governing body will have direct input on potential gifts that meet certain criteria.
During a discussion last month, council members briefly reviewed the revisions to Ridgewood ordinance 3273, commonly known as the “gift ordinance.” Four categories of donations have been established: under $500 in value; $500 to $5,000; more than $5,000; and individual contributions when the total annual donation reaches $7,500.
According to the new procedures, all contributions $5,000 and less must be reported to the village manager’s office, which will accept gifts from known and anonymous donors after full vetting. The Ridgewood Council will review all gifts in the event a donor has a permit or application before a municipal board or agency 90 days before or after the contribution was made.
For gifts exceeding the $5,000 threshold, donors will be required to submit the village’s “Contribution Form” and await review and receive approval from the village manager and council members. The manager and council will receive all reports on a contributor whose individual gifts fall below $5,000 but when the “cumulative value exceeds $7,500 in a calendar year.”
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/council-revises-gift-ordinance-1.1026206#sthash.1lLcj0Ue.dpuf
The financial disclosure forms also need to be revised to disclose whether or not any Village official or Council/Planning board members, or their family, works for or owns a stake in any company, directly or indirectly, that conducts business with the Village or any entity that is funded in whole or in part by the Village, i.e. Northwest Bergen Central Dispatch, Ridgewood Water, etc. This will help prevent conflicts of interest in future that contravene the spirit of the Village Code and NJ Local Govt Ethics Law.
Is that a photo of Christmas presents on an abandoned sandbox with leaves all over it? Just checking.