When you talk about development, the topic of PILOTs and tax abatements inevitably comes up. There’s often a misconception here, with people thinking that this means that a development pays no taxes at all. But the fundamental belief that most people have – that PILOTs are good for developers and bad for the rest of […]
How PILOTs Impact the Budget: The Edison Lofts Example Read More »
Last year, West Orange’s budget process dragged late into the fall. It was so late that the 4th quarter tax bills were delayed because they couldn’t be calculated properly. This started with the Mayor. The budget wasn’t presented to the Council until late April. But after that, the Council engaged in a lengthy series of
It’s August and West Orange Still Hasn’t Adopted a Municipal Budget Read More »
Essex Green is pretty centrally located in town. It’s also almost entirely cut off and isolated from the town. Whether you’re trying to hang out at the shopping plaza with your friends or get to the library tucked away in the back, it’s tough to get there if you’re on foot or on a bike.
Running Up Mt. Pleasant to Essex Green and the West Orange Public Library Read More »
At the August 4 council meeting, the topic of development and affordable housing came up. This prompted the township attorney, Mark Semeraro, to provide an update on the situation in which West Orange now finds itself. That situation is, in a word, precarious. As Semeraro explained, the township failed to pass its affordable housing plan
Builder’s Remedy Lawsuits in West Orange: How Did We Get Here? Read More »
When you walk through your neighborhood in West Orange – whether you’re dropping your kids off at school, jogging down Pleasant Valley Way, or visiting a local business on Main Street – you should feel safe. Yet too many of us have experienced near misses with speeding or distracted drivers. I run every morning, and
Safer Streets for Everyone: Moving West Orange from Plans to Action Read More »
I live in St. Cloud near the zoo, and we frequently find ourselves driving up and down Northfield Ave. It’s the gateway to Livingston and points further west, and every time we drive through the traffic light at Pleasant Valley Way I think about how the two areas are effectively cut off from one another.
Can You Go West Up Northfield Ave Towards Livingston On Foot? Read More »
July is national parks and recreation month – which makes it a perfect time to highlight the parks in West Orange. We are blessed to have many great outdoor spaces in town. There are three major county parks (South Mountain Reservation, the Zoo Complex, and Eagle Rock Reservation), a national park (Thomas Edison), and numerous
It’s National Parks and Recreation Month! Read More »
For some time now, retirement payouts have been a hot topic at town council meetings. The most controversial of those was Abbott’s accumulated leave worth almost $800,000. But other questions have swirled, causing the Council to quibble over payments as small as $5.36. The Council has the benefit of legal counsel to explain the finer
Understanding Retirement Payouts and What the Township Can Do about Them Read More »
I live in the St. Cloud area by the zoo. I love running every morning, and I often run on the trails. South Mountain is super convenient to get to. But it is frustratingly hard to get up to Eagle Rock Reservation on foot from my house. To prove that point, I ran the route
Can You Get From St. Cloud to Eagle Rock Reservation on Foot? Read More »
In February, it was reported that West Orange’s former Chief of Police, James Abbott, was due to receive a $780k payout for accumulated leave at retirement. This is an obscene amount and it raised questions about how this could happen – and whether there was anything that could be done to avoid paying it. Since
Fight Over Chief Abbott’s Retirement Payout Misses the Point Read More »