Ridgewood June 3, 2009 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 5 Municipal budget adopted; $508 average increase expected by John Koster The adoption of Ridgewood’s $55,001,954 municipal purpose budget will raise taxes on the average Ridgewood house by $508. Mayor David Pfund thanked Village Manager James Ten Hoeve for bringing in a budget that arouse little controversy and was adopted by a unanimous vote. “We ask more and more of you, and you give us more,” Mayor Pfund told Ten Hoeve and the administrative staff. “With all that we were faced with, I think we did a pretty good job.” Taxes to fund administration, police, fire, roads and parks constituted $116 of the 2009 increase, while the schools covered $357, and Bergen County required $52, though Ridgewood reaped a return on county taxes through Bergen County Open Space grants for two major projects and several minor ones. The mayor noted that, thanks to Ten Hoeve and to Janet Fricke, assistant to the village manager, and other staff members, Ridgewood had already obtained $1,897,000 in outside grants for 2009 after obtaining $2,173,000 for all of 2008, and that he anticipated that this year’s tally would match or exceed last year’s. The preponderance of the money was to defray expenses for purchase of the 10-acre Habernickel Horse Farm property on Hillcrest Avenue and the impending purchase of the seven-acre wooded Schedler Property off West Saddle River Road, which Ten Hoeve and Village Attorney Matt Rogers said should be completed shortly. Ten Hoeve said the session would be his last meeting as Ridgewood’s chief administrator. Ten Hoeve, whose replacement has not yet been named, had a quiet warning for the council on his pending departure: “We have to be very cautious about 2010.” The former chief financial officer, who has served as interim manager four times, and worked about half his professional life in Ridgewood, had argued for one-day unpaid furloughs for all employees, including himself, as a costcutting measure due to economic times, but this initiative (continued on page 17) A number of students at the George Washington and Benjamin Franklin Middle Schools in Ridgewood have achieved perfect scores in their introductory and first-year Latin courses at the middle school levels. George Washington School students who achieved perfect scores in introductory Latin were Juli Sullivan, Mark Perfect, Mark Vermylen, Adam Bronfin, Christina Benson, Students win perfect scores in Latin Kimberly Lam, Bridget McElroy, Juan Fernandez, and Matthew Park. Students who received perfect scores at the Benjamin Franklin School included Michael Antosiewicz, Christopher Criscitiello, Rachel Posner, Jonan Salzman-Cohen, Aisling Casey, March Fishbein, Owen Rapaport, Janice Sung, and Vincent Jung. ����������������������� ��������������������������� ���������������������������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������� ������������������������������������ ����������������������������������������� ������������������������� �������������������� ������������������������������������������������������� ����������������������� We’re Selling Ridgewood 4th of �������������������� July Fireworks Tickets. ���������������������� While you’re here, how about some ���������� HARDING WINE&SPIRIT Real Bang for Your Buck! Buy either... Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, White Zinfandel Liberty Creek or... $ 2 Locations Glen Rock & Passaic PASSAIC LOCATION NOW OPEN SUNDAYS! We Offer Line Of Credits And Financing Plans HUGE WINE SELECTION Beer • Super Premium Spirits Party Planning • Gift Baskets Free Parking • Ice • Soda WE DELIVER Barefoot Wines $ 201.345-5621 305 E. Ridgewood Ave Ridgewood, NJ DEBIT CARDS ACCEPTED 201-445-7122 Pinot Grigio, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, White Zinfandel & Moscato 5 9 .99 1.5 liter .19 1.5 liter Now that’s something to celebrate! No rain checks issued. Not responsible for typographical errors.