“Toilet Tax” rejected in Ridgewood
Monday October 21, 2013, 12:17 PM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News
The Ridgewood Council rejected an ordinance that would have increased sewage fees for significant dischargers, welcome news to many restaurant owners in the Central Business District (CBD) who previously resisted the proposal.
“The sewer fees will not increase this year, but there will be further discussion of what will be done going forward,” Mayor Paul Aronsohn announced prior to the council’s unanimous vote to defeat the ordinance calling for the fee hike.
Considered by the village’s governing body in the latter portion of the summer, the proposed ordinance and its public hearing were continued from month to month until Ridgewood officials could discuss the increases with Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce leaders. Some downtown business owners, meanwhile, spoke publicly during council meetings and suggested the fees unfairly targeted CBD establishments.
“You have a handful of significant dischargers, people who utilize the system, and then you have thousands of other customers who utilize it far more,” said Paul Vagianos, whose East Ridgewood Avenue restaurant is billed an excessive discharge fee. “Those other customers aren’t charged. Only a handful of businesses and non-profits [are charged], most of them are small businesses and mom-and-pop operations.”
Another payback for the Carpetbagger Mayor’s supporters. Next is the parking garage and the 6 million dollar bond that goes with it.
Vaggianos wanted residential taxpayers to pay the toilet tax too. More cash for him.
Why should small business be penalized by a toilet tax?
In all fairness, if you use something you should pay accordingly.
If your restaurant sends a large volume of waste to the sewer plant you should pay more than a home that has a smaller volume.
That same ‘fairness’ should be applied to residential taxpayers. If you do not have children in the schools, you should not have to pay that portion of taxes that fund the schools. Or at least get a 50% discount, and you will still subsidize the children of your wealthy neighbors.