file photo by Boyd Loving
NOVEMBER 11, 2015 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2015, 9:13 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
The village’s professional staff last month gave an update to the council regarding an ongoing project related to cleaning up Ridgewood’s salary ordinances and ranges.
The issue of updating the salary ranges and titles was first broached in September when Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld presented the possibility of hiring certain employees at a salary higher than the minimum listed in the village’s salary ranges.
The purpose of changing the ordinance was to give the manager discretion and flexibility in hiring employees with qualifications that would suggest bringing them in at a higher salary and allow the village to get the best employee for the position. The ordinance could extend to both public safety and non-public safety employees.
At that time, Sonenfeld also offered to include in the ordinance a provision that anytime an employee is brought in at a salary higher than the low end of the pay range, the details would be discussed during the open session portion of a council meeting for the sake of clarity.
Since then, Sonenfeld, Village Clerk Heather Mailander and Human Resources Director Sharyn Matthews have met several times to continue work on the ordinance and discovered more aspects in need of an update.
Discussion focused on the addition of new titles and the deletion of unused ones. Sonenfeld said ranges had not been adjusted, but new ranges would be presented for consideration when the yearly salary ordinance is adopted.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/update-offered-on-ridgewood-salary-ordinance-1.1452857
Wow! Did the Village hit the lottery or plant money trees? This group is spending like crazy…ginormous garage, massive housing, parks, here, there, everywhere. How much authority will the Wizard of Oz (Village Manager) ultimately have? Who is really behind the curtain?
Just think if they get Valley to pay a million or two how much more they could waste.
Tax the churches, tax the hospital, and tax the Y.
As per usual with Roberta – break the rules to suit yourself, then change the rules to make it look like you were in compliance. Always ass-backwards. What ever happened to change the rule first, then follow the new rule? Oh, that would have meant that you couldn’t have hired Sharyn Matthews to do the lion’s share of the job that is part of your own position description. Roberta, you have to go. You are costing us too much with your power trips.
Spending money is the only way that the system works. If the reality of fiscal shortfalls or deficits were adhered to in the form of abandoning projects, then how on earth are the politically-appointed able to channel projects and money to those that put them there? It’s why the most politically corrupt States and Municipalities are the ones running the worst deficits.
Roberta Sonenfeld is underqualified, has a far too high opinion of herself, and exceeds her authority. Her behavior at public meetings is unacceptable. Here’s hoping the next council will replace her asap.
Who holds the purse strings? The Village Manager or the Village Council? Who writes the ordinances? The Village Manager or the Village Council?
Come on leave Roberta alone. She is one of the best and brightest Village Managers in recent history and she is head and shoulders over her predecessor Ken Gabbert. If you want to talk about a big ego he thought he was smartest guy in the room……regardless of whatever room he was in or who he was in the room with !!
Roberta comes from the business world and she is smart, pragmatic and gets things done. Incidentally, the Village Council holds the purse strings and Roberta can only spend what they approve.
Thanks Roberta for your comment (4:20.)
When all else fails evoke the name of Gabbert. Im glad to see that you took a page for your Mayor’s playbook. Gabbert is gone. We don’t care what he did he’s gone GET IT You are being judged on your performance or lack there of. Next we will hear from you or your shrills that its Bush’s fault.
too much bull shit.
and yet they just put on more fire men , they had the money for that.
Thank you 5:25
Firemen we need. Useless village managers, not so much.
4:20 can’t be Roberta. Sounds more like Hauck…just now raising her head from her usual…face down during council meeting position. I don’t understand, what are we doing…wait…what is going on. I was in the bathroom! Or more recently, related to housing…wanted to renege her yes vote. Wake up 4;20, Village Manager has been making decisions on her own and sending an FYI to council after the fact. It’s the entire Schedler/Habernickel uproar. Oh and her friend sitting in the made up cushy HR position.
we don’t any new fire men or police, other towns do not have paid fire dept’s do they. some do some don’t. come on. my taxes are going up, and up for paid fire crew, my homes burn ,please don’t put it out. this is not 1950,s
roberta , you and your lap dog’s need to go ,in 2016. the police chief will take her job. well that’s the talk on the av.
We have no need for useless Village Managers……that is exactly why we got rid of Gabbert. He was useless and arrogant as hell. Roberta is smart, savvy and she knows when to put her foot down on issues which need attention She is keeps the Village Council on a level keel.
None of the towns around us have paid career fire depts… the amount of taxes to pay for that privilege is much more than any home insurance savings
no more fire workers . please. come on. stop the b s.
I prefer to have a paid fire service, thank you very much.