the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, the village council voted on Wednesday to approve a $51 million budget for the 2020 fiscal year which increases property taxes 2.2%.Village home owners will see an $85 tax increase for the average home assessed at $701,997, said Chief Financial Officer Bob Rooney.The budget vote was 4-1 with Councilman Jeffrey Voigt the sole vote against the budget.
The 2020 budget is a marginal increase from last year’s appropriations, which totaled $50.8 million and increased taxes $48 for the average 2019 home assessed at $702,225.The village will fund $36 million of its budget through property taxes, which are among the highest in the state. The average Ridgewood homeowner paid a whopping $18,234 in property taxes last year. Municipal budgets, however, account for only a portion of property taxes, the enormous school budget of $115 million creates a far greater share of taxpayer burden.
Roughly 66% of the budget, nearly $34 million, will fund salaries, pensions, health care and leave for village employees, including first responders.
Ridgewood currently has $7.2 million in unfunded liabilities. Another 33% of the budget, or more than $17 million, will fund operations for the village’s water utility.
This VC has an odd legacy that they seem proud of? A giant garage that can’t ever pay for itself even with the massive parking fee increases.
That’s it.
That’s their legacy.
Let’s run the Village as if it were a business. Let’s expect the village employees to “do more with less”. What this means:
1. as an employee of the Village of Ridgewood, you’re lucky to have a job in the first place (it’s not an entitlement and don’t treat it as your personal piggy bank)
2. understand that as a civil servant, YOU WORK FOR US (your job is not an entitlement)
3. no whining when we ask you to do stuff (and don’t ever say: “… oh, that’s the way we’ve always done it…”)… very bad!
4. $200,000 salaries… those go away (we’re looking at you Heather Mailander and others)
5. showing up at 9am, taking countless breaks during the WORK DAY and then leaving at 4:30pm sharp (or even before 4:30pm)… again, this doesn’t work
6. writing tickets for questionable infractions of “the code” must stop (I’m looking at you Tracy Jeffery)… see point #2 above (you work for us, not the other way around)
Why do we (the people who are funding these undeserving pieces of sh$t) allow this type of behavior from the very people who are supposed to SERVE US?
What the total tax increase including the proposed capital bonds?
Time to Clean House
BIG TIME
115 M for schools and still no performance Accountability ?
Hell with that ..
Realtors will love that …
And yet you live here.
This gig at VH is been going down for years and we just love
The fact that not one of you schmucks can and will not do anything about it. Your part of the machine that is Ridgewood…you took the bait that is the school system and that feeds right into and over bloated PD and completely unnecessary FT FD and all the other union gigs in town. We have a great scam we’ve been working for years and you will NOT fuck it up for us. Go to NYC to your criminal enterprise and bring the cash back so mommy has fuel for her suburban and we can tax you to death under the guise of “the schools”. You do your job, we’ll do ours. We good at it. Now fuck off.
Enough of the whining already….
.
As I’ve told you before…
We are:
RICH and STUPID
… and they know it.
.
“The fact that not one of you schmucks can and will not do anything about it.”
I’d love to do something about it…
–> Fire all of your useless, lazy f@cking ass%s immediately.
You might say: “But wait, I was an office worker in Ridgewood. And, now my family is on food stamps and I can’t afford to pay my rent. And, I don’t have my cushy pension anymore. Cry. Cry. Tears….”
Response: get yourself educated so that you, too, can go to NYC and have a $1 million+ compensation and fire useless trash like yourselves. It’s a great feeling. Bwahahaha!
Ok I’ll repeat just to clarify….
There’s nothing you can do about it. Period.
WE have control NOT you. Vote us out? Clean house?
Been there. Done that.
It’s pretty entertaining that you people think that voting us out is going to change the general landscape. Yea, we figured that out long ago while you were asleep at the wheel.
Look if anyone doesn’t like this town. Just move.
Worst governance in the history of the Village. The Council members should be ashamed of themselves raising taxes faster than inflation to pay for police & firefighter pensions, late model SUVs with tinted windows, and a Private shooting range for the RPD who have never discharged a weapon in Village history. not to mention the Elks HQ boondoggle, the parking garage fiasco, and the old Town garage debacle.
Wow, 66% of the budget, nearly $34 million, will fund salaries, pensions, health care and leave for village employees, including first responders.
Those contracted obligations are crowding out the Village’s ability to spend on anything else and the $7.2 million in unfunded liabilities are also for early retirement payouts to cops & fire for unused sick leave, which is another big scam!!!!
And there you sit…
Getting screwed with the outrageous salaries and there’s NOTHING YOU CAN OR WILL DO ABOUT IT.
Get it now?
Your screwed
We win
It’s pretty simple
Well well well the constant complainer about village employees and their compensation and benefits has been working overtime posting his asinine comments here.
He’s been bitching about this since he was one of the dummies on the Aronshon financial advisory committee. That was 14 years ago and what has he accomplished with all of his complaining? Nothing, absolutely nothing has changed and nothing will change. That’s a fact that he just can’t comprehend.
Yes, we can leave. Enjoy bankruptcy court when your pension plan and multiple municipalities (Not to mention Trenton) go insolvent!
See ya!
Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on your way out dummy. Oh and by the way State, County and Municipal pension obligations are not dischargeable by bankruptcy. Nice try though.
I’m sure the absurd sums of money you’ve promised yourselves will grow on trees! Good luck!
I’m sure when you leave town no one will miss you chicken little.
So there you have it. The pension piggies are stealing from taxpayers and proud of it. They gave no shame and they are despicable, greedy pigs.
The fact is your the 🐷 piggy one. You want government employees to work for minimal pay and substandard benefits so you can make more money on your rental properties. Sorry Mr. Piggy 🐷 but that’s not going to happen, not now , not ever.
Yes it is. Diminish benefits or lose them. Your choice, not ours.
Who are you calling piggy, pigs?
Minimal pay and substandard benefits? Are you joking?
Average Ridgewood police & fire salaries are well over $120,000, you retire after 25 years of service at an average age of 52 on a full pension immediately, which means you’ll draw your full defined benefit pension a for more years than you actually worked if you live an average lifespan; you have platinum healthcare benefits which no one in the private sector gets unless they pay a huge premium; and, the average payout for unused sick leave at retirement is well over $700,000 in Ridgewood, which is way more than a private sector employee will ever get from Social security if they retire at age 67.
It’s a complete scam.
Jimmy bombast the disgraced fire captain is back spreading lies from his retirement in Florida…
Obviously you can read but you fail to comprehend, I said “You want government employees to work for minimal pay and substandard benefits.” Not that Government Employees receive minimal pay.
You stated “the average payout for unused sick leave at retirement is well over $700,000 in Ridgewood,” Ok I don’t know if that is fact or fiction, so I will give you an opportunity to prove that what you are saying is fact. Show your proof of that……
Krazy Kime, disgraced Mayor Aronshon’s right hand man is back telling boldfaced lies. But there’s nothing new about that is there……..
I’m still waiting for your proof that “the average payout for unused sick leave at retirement is well over $700,000 in Ridgewood,” Put up or STFU.
Krazy Kime can’t provide proof of his claim. Because it’s a complete lie! And he knows it.
Looks like Krazy Kime decided to shut the fuck up rather than provide proof of his wild and krazy claim
Look at the current VoR budget asshole: $7.2 million unfunded liability to pay for 50% of accumulated unused sick leave for police & fire at retirement. Look at the recent payouts to retirees at well over $700,000 per cop and FF. You are a liar and a disgraced former Village employee who lost a case and was cited for bullying and harassment by the judge. You are scum.
https://theridgewoodblog.net/citizens-for-a-better-ridgewood-tainted-by-the-bombace-scandal/
>We would not be discussing nepotism today had it not been for Fire Chief James Bombace and Fire Captain/BOE President Mark Bombace. James came to a board of education meeting in full uniform (glad he left the axe back at the station) speaking at the microphone defending his little brother Mark (cute when you’re 12). He then shows up at a math chat to make sure no one speaks badly about his little brother Mark (again cute when you’re 12).
For anyone out there uncomfortable with this discussion on nepotism, you can thank the Bombace boys (the Brothers Grimm)for bringing it to the forefront.
https://theridgewoodblog.net/andrew-susan-exposed-admit-they-are-james-bombace-and-support-paul-aronsohn/
Who’s the liar scumbag?
https://theridgewoodblog.net/ex-chief-bombace-looks-to-resuscitate-image-after-behavior-was-blasted-by-judge-in-reilly-verdict/
Disgraceful! What a bully!
DOCKET NO. EER-L-4217-09
Also noted in the Judge’s decision “Plaintiff received a disturbing anonymous mailing at his home which was later found to have been sent by Former Chief Bombace”
That disgraced thug and bully lives in Florida without even paying NJ state taxes on his Ridgewood public pension and excessive healthcare benefits, buying his Viagra with $5 co-pays. His poor wife!
James A. Bombace (Ridgewood Village): $101,331
(Source: https://patch.com/new-jersey/ridgewood/seven-rw-gr-public-retirees-receive-more-than-100-000-pension )
Bombast was a huge Ahronson supporter. Not only did he cost the Village $500,000 after Firefighter Kevin Reilly won his suit against the Village of Ridgewood after objecting to numerous violations of fire safety and Occupational Safety & Health Act (“OSHA”) regulations, and retaliation against him by, among other things, placing a negative memo in his personnel file, investigating an argument he had with another firefighter while off duty, and repeatedly skipping him for a promotion in violation of New Jersey’s Conscientious Employee Protection Act (“CEPA”), we now suffer from the overdevelopment brought by his support for Ahronson! While he sunbathes in Florida on his huge Village pension over $100,000 without even paying NJ state taxes or living here. What a pig!
Still not seeing any proof proof of your claim Krazy Kime. Name just one person who received $700,000.00 sick leave payout. Name just one person you pathetic liar.
I see quite a few comments have been made here since I asked a question. So I will repeat my question……minimal pay.
“the average payout for unused sick leave at retirement is well over $700,000 in Ridgewood,” Ok I don’t know if that is fact or fiction, so I will give you an opportunity to prove that what you are saying is fact. Show your proof of that……
The Members of the 2012 Financial Advisory Committee (alphabetically)
Rich Barclay
Bayard DeI\/Iallie
Ed Feldsott
Nancy Johansen *
Charlie Kime
John Maxwell
Jim McCarthy
David Sabath
Jim Schimmei
Fran Shovlìn
Roberta Sonenfeld *
Bob Zeller
That was the 2012 roster. Are they all still on? Some of them are just wanna-bees. No real financial expertise. A couple have oversized egos but can’t even manage their personal finances
https://theridgewoodblog.net/nj/charlie-kime/
i find it interesting that someone, who doesn’t live in Ridgewood or Bergen County or New Jersey or the United States, is so obsessed with what goes on in Ridgewood now.
Notice the other familiar name on that list? Roberta Sonenfeld * Our disgraced X-Village Manager who was charged with ethics violations along with disgraced X-Mayor Aronshon. Krazy Kime was Aronsohns right hand man.
Jim Bombast is a disgraced former Fire Captain to cost the Village $500,000 when we were sued by FF Kevin Reilly who he’d bullied and harassed. He’s been discredited, abd is a known liar and billy.
He asked for proof of oversized unused sick leave payouts at retirement to greedy VOR cops and firefighters?
See page 19 here: https://mods.ridgewoodnj.net/pdf/manager/2015BudgetPresentation.pdf
For those who are counting, in 2015 the contractual obligations of the Village, including police & fire salaries, pensions, health insurance, vacation and terminal leave payouts totaled $28.295M or 60.1% of the total /$47.061M Village budget.
In the proposed 2020 Village budget, these exact same obligations are seen costing nearly $34M, or 66% of the $51M total budget, to fund salaries, pensions, health care and leave for village employees, including first responders.
That means these contractual obligations have grown by 20% just in the last five years, while the overall Village budget has only increased by 8%. This means that more than 100% of the municipal tax increases on Village residents are going to fund salaries, pensions, healthcare and vacation payouts to police & fire, not to quality of life improvements in the Village for CD all residents.
They are insatiably greedy pigs 🐷. Their greed is crowding out all other municipal expenditures, just as the FAC predicted.
Ridgewood also currently has $7.2 million in unfunded liabilities for unused sick leave payouts at retirement.
Another 33% of the budget, or more than $17 million, will fund operations for the black hole of corruption, graft and ineptitude, Ridgewood Water.
Jim Bombace is a discredited and disgraced loser. Just ignore him. He destroyed the career (and life) of former FF Kevin Reilly with his bullying and targeted harassment. And now his sons and nephews serve as paid, full-time firefighters in a case of greed and nepotism. Just like Knudsen and her sons, not to mention the Killions and others. It’s all nepotism and pigging out at Village taxpayers expense. Disgraceful and shameless greed! This blog knows it, too.
Note the greedy Ridgewood pension piggy defending his theft from all of us like a true pig 🐷
Look at Jim Bombace going straight back to his dirty bag of tricks trying to bully, harass and discredit others when he is the one who was disgraced and discredited when the Village lost a $500,000 settlement in May 2012 after FF Kevin Reilly sued us over his treatment at the hands of Fire Captain Bombace. The judge cited Bombace’s harassment and threatening mailings to Mr. Reilly, who has since left the Village Fire Dept.