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Village Council Set to Vote on Ridgewood Library $2 Million Resolution

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the staff of the Rdgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, North Jersey media reports that the Village Council is expected to support a $2 million resolution to help fund sweeping renovations at the Ridgewood Public Library, council members indicated Wednesday.

The council will vote on the resolution Dec. 11th. The total price tag for the project is $7.7 million, and not one new book will be added.

The library would need to raise half of that by Jan. 1 st.

Resident Steve Kim said, “Based on past surveys (I’ve gone through every page), people care most about services. Why pay 2x for the same services offered? Why impact the taxpayers unnecessarily? Why is this so difficult for Library people to comprehend?”

The resolution would lead to a bond ordinance for the $2 million. If passed, the typical Ridgewood homeowner would see a property tax bump averaging $16.58 annually for the next 20 years. The average home value in Ridgewood is $702,225.

Mr. Kim further details his skepticism with the plan :

It is highly unlikely that Ridgewood Library gets the full one for one match funding on its proposal of $7.7 million.

How do I know? Consider this…

1. There is $3 dollars demanded for every $1 grant fund available.
2. Key focus of the grant is to achieve accessibility (ADA in particular) and to help lower income zones. For projects related to access, funding requirements are relaxed.
3. Projects are looked at not as per municipality but per sub-tasks. How would circular stairs rank?

It’s best to work on an alternate plan that is lower cost but provides the same services. There is that plan. It existed before 2018 (before the trustees got excited over the passage of Library Construction Act in 2017), and they also presented that such a plan is possible at a recent meeting.

By having a realistic plan, we might actually get more funded since funding will be in rounds until all grant money is all given away.

12 thoughts on “Village Council Set to Vote on Ridgewood Library $2 Million Resolution

  1. Please that vote is going right through this is all political. Economy is strong people are spending money they’re borrowing money because it’s so cheap just like the village of Ridgewood borrowing a lot of money because it’s cheap right. And the bottom line is it’s all about confidence when they feel confident and safe they will borrow and I will spend end of the story thank you. Just remember people Trump in 2020.

  2. Everyone on the village council should vote yes to improving our cultural community, especially at $20 bucks per household. If not, they will forever need to explain how they approved a garage for $12m and not this project. Even if the reimaging is not perfect to all of us.

  3. They are talking about just under 8 million OK I get it construction it is expensive today. Why don’t they just make it 10 million and add a parking garage behind the library in Villagewalk because they definitely need parking at those two locations that something that needs to be addressed.

  4. Parking Issue – yeah, right, you can add a parking garage for a mere $2million.

  5. The debt bomb is in front of us. Let the Library folks raise the money privately. Stop this nonsense.

  6. If the village council votes on the proposal as it exists today, they will be participating in the “creating accounting”.

  7. correction – If the village council votes on the proposal as it exists today, they will be participating in the “creative accounting”.

  8. The library is already the best municipal library in North Jersey. This is a vanity project.

  9. Not. One. Dollar. We have to stop this crazy spending. Spiral staircase? Really? Voters will remember this in the spring.

  10. Nobody gives a flying fuck about what you perceive is going to happen in the spring. Why? Because they already ripped your dumb ass off and don’t really give a crap about re-elections. GET WITH THE PROGRAM PAL.

  11. PJ! Love the photograph you attached to the post. Didn’t notice at first but very snarky and funny. That’s the hugest staircase!

  12. I’m looking at a $30 per year increase in my taxes. I’m fine with that, as long as the end product will increase the appeal of this town and help me sell my house in 15 years.

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