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Flat Budget Denies State Assistance Saddle Brook residents will be getting less return for their state tax dollars this year. The State of New Jersey recently released its Extraordinary Aid awards for 2006, and the township was missing from the list of the fortunate. In all, 106 municipalities – 20 in Bergen County – were provided with financial assistance. To be eligible, a community must demonstrate that extreme conditions, such as a drastic increase in expenses or a significant loss in tax revenue, would result in a tax increase. This year, the township introduced a flat budget with no municipal tax increase. Among neighboring communities, Elmwood Park received $100,000; Garfield $500,000; Maywood $60,000; and Paramus $350,000. “We work with local officials year round to determine where the need is the greatest,” NJ Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Susan Bass Levin said in a statement. “This funding helps relieve the property tax burden and provides the critical support our local governments need to improve the quality of life in their communities.” In recent years, the township received several state aid awards to help eliminate a 2003 budget deficit. —07663Online Staff |
Paving the Way for Road Upgrades
It was recently announced that the township's 2006 Road Program expects improvements to the following streets: Mayhill, Rosedale, Sixth and Sampson. Saddle River Road was also repaved recently through a county-funded project. In addition, Saddle Brook is applying to the NJ Department of Transportation for funding for Phase 1 of the Oxford Avenue paving project (Saddle River Road to Fairlawn Parkway). Saddle Brook road projects, however, are not limited to asphalt. During its June 8 meeting, the township council approved spending approximately $12,000 to repair and replace sidewalks near the municipal building on Market Street, which recently underwent landscape upgrades in conjunction with construction of the new police headquarters. The township is also working with the county on plans to redesign the intersection of Market Street, Sampson Street and Caldwell Avenue. The project, currently in the design phase, will include installation of a traffic light and turn lanes. That particular intersection has been a problem area for the township, and was the site of a pedestrian fatality several years ago. —07663Online Staff |
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Get What’s Coming To You November 16, 2006 Perhaps it’s a bank account that you simply forgot about. Or a refunded deposit on a utility that never found you once you moved. Millions of dollars in unclaimed funds are out there, just waiting to be reunited with the pockets of their rightful owners. One or more of those owners may live in Saddle Brook. To find if you have uncollected Wage Checks, Bank Accounts, and Certificates of Deposit, Bonds or Stocks, which have met the statutory abandonment criteria, search the State of New Jersey Treasury Department’s Unclaimed Property registry: http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation/unclaimsrch.htm Each year, close to $100 million in tax refund checks are undeliverable due to unreported changes of name or address, or due to marriage, death or divorce. Another $450 million in refund checks are delivered, but not cashed each year. The National Taxpayers Union offers a free search tool to see if the federal government owes you money: http://www.ntu.org/main/components/current_irs/ Good luck and happy hunting! —07663Online Staff |
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State Grades Township Schools On February 7, the NJ Department of Education released the 2006 School Report Cards. Generally, Long students fared the best of the township's public schools, exceeding the state median in all categories, and the county median in all categories but Science. The following table details how each township school performed in the major testing categories, compared to school districts in the county and state. Percentage of Students Passing Standardized Testing |
