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RussianBergen county news with an emphasis on aspects affecting real estate, residency and community issues.
More Bergen County towns opt for Telephone alert system
Englewood Property tax revaluation leaves many unhappy
Bergen County residents help the disabled
Housing market affects Bergen County markets
Bergen County townhouse complex causes environmental concern
More Bergen County towns opt for Telephone alert system
The SwiftReach telephone alert system may be the perfect answer to reaching thousands of residents with emergency messages. While the system was launched in 2004, only 70 towns of Bergen County opted for it. Probably the main concern was money. The system costs a town $5000 per year in fees and an additional 3.5 cents per phone call. However the benefits of the system became obvious, when the United Water Treatment plant relayed messages on avoiding tap water, and many did not get the message till late in the next day, when they read the newspaper. The reverse 911 system in some towns relayed the message too and has proved useful. This system is reported to have cost $100,000 to operate over a period of five years. After recent developments of the water crisis, many boroughs are now planning to invest in the system so that emergency messages reach residents faster.
Englewood Property tax revaluation leaves many unhappy
The property tax revaluation of Englewood was an eye opener and brought unexpected changes into the tax bill. This revaluation, which was conducted now after 1993 caused the taxes of modest homes to rise by a minimum of 25%. On the other hand, many luxurious houses were seen to get a tax cut. Given the figures, residential tax bills are slated to go up by 7.4%. However, figures may change once the state finalizes its budget. Among the luxury houses located mainly on Lincoln Street at East Hill, out of the 23 homes, only four will face tax increases. Most of the other homes would see tax cuts up to 25%. Thus while the assessed value of homes would go up in luxury housing, the tax cuts on them would reduce. As per the Bergen County Board of Taxation, these tax cuts have mainly come up because of increase in demand for low cost housing. As Englewood has more of low-end housing that other towns in Bergen County, the impact on their taxes has been larger. Many residents, from both lower middle class and upper classes have shown their resentment towards the new tax revaluation.
Bergen County residents help the disabled
Bergen County offers plenty of support to disabled residents in the region and one such organization making pioneering efforts in the area is the New Concepts Disabled Children’s foundation. This organization organizes various fund raising activities to provide care and services to disabled people in Bergen County. Its latest activities included the Skymark Golf Classic, an annual golf outing that was held in New Jersey. The event raised $59,000 which would be used to provide support services for disabled people and their families. Besides organizing events and raising money for the disabled, the organization also provides education and information on the care of disabled persons and how everyone can make a difference. At the golf event, John Gardner, the chairman of the organization, added that he too had a disabled child and understood the special needs of such people. The organization accepts donations and the money is used for critically needy patients first and then for the care of other disabled persons in Bergen County.
Housing market affects Bergen County markets
The housing market has had its effect on many other markets, and car sales have reportedly been reducing in Bergen County and the neighborhood. Many car salespersons and home owners in Bergen County report that while they would like to go in for a new car, houses have lost value (sometimes up to 25%), making it difficult for many to invest. Car dealers report that traditionally summers are a good time for buying cars, when people prefer to pick up outgoing model-year cars, as the new models are introduced. However, this year, many customers are waiting for the housing market to improve before they look at such luxury purchases. Thus major car dealers in the region like Chrysler, GM, Toyota and Ford are all feeling the pinch as the number of customers is dwindling in these months. Sales at these firms are reported to be down by 8%, 22.3%, 3.5% and 19% respectively. Though new incentives, finance deals and rebates have been made even more attractive this year, are also not helping the market much report Edmunds.com, an industry tracking service. Finally the market for trucks and SUVs has also suffered the brunt of housing.
Bergen County townhouse complex causes environmental concern
A 360-unit townhouse complex, planned on the Federal Hill in Bloomingdale, Bergen County is facing severe resistance from environmental and governmental bodies. The main area of concern is the drainage system of the planned complex, which environmental experts feel could affect the drinking water facilities. The hill is situated on the eastern side of the Highland’s region of the state, which provides drinking water to the many state residents. Many argue that the state needs to put in place stricter drainage laws so that the development does not cause flooding in beneath the mountain tract. However D R Horton, the developers of the project state that the reports of their storm water management analysis show that project will not have any significant impact on storm water discharge. This housing development is part of a builder’s remedy lawsuit by the developers in 2005. It came up when the borough was unable to meet the state’s Supreme Court mandate for meeting affordable housing demands. If the townhouse complex sees the light of the day, 72 units of the 360 would be used for affordable housing.
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