It is an Italian fest which honors two saints-St. Rocco and the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in mid August. The feast usually runs Aug. 12 to 15th.
Yvonne

If a reval happens, taxes will just go up. Every place went up in 1988 reval except commercial (reduction) and ward F.
Abatements are contracts are not impacted by a reval or tax increases.

Nidia Lopez changed her license to NJ to qualify for a city car.
Yvonne

The taping of PPG settlement will air tonight on Channel 51, 10:30 PM and Tuesdays @ 9:00 PM. For those without Comcast, you can see the video www.speaknj.com Yvonne

A recall is happening right now in West New York. Two doctors, decided to start a recall because their patients were physically getting sick. They need 5,200 signatures but are going after 8,000.
Yvonne

I went to college in NY. My tuition was double because I was not a NYS resident. I even worked in NY during that time. Exceptions are for residents who live there. This also applies in Florida. To receive an exception and not be a resident is fraud.
Yvonne

Today's NY Times has an article on Crystal Point

TWO new high-end waterfront buildings in Hudson County ? one a rental, the other a 42-story condominium tower ? are set to open with very poor timing, especially in the case of the condos.
Nevertheless, their developers say, the developments are getting a healthy early response, without any price slashing or major discounting coming into play as of yet.
At RiversEdge, a 236-unit rental at Port Imperial in Weehawken, a 575-square-foot studio is offered at $1,900 per month, and asking rates for two-bedroom apartments range up to $3,500 ? which pushes the edge of the rent-check envelope in New Jersey right now.
The midrise building will not open its first units until mid-July and will not be complete until fall, but by last week more than 20 apartments had been spoken for, according to Roseland Properties, the developer.
At the 269-unit Crystal Point, 25 feet from the riverbank in Jersey City, almost a quarter of the one-, two-, and three-bedrooms sold even before hard-hat tours for prospective buyers officially started last week. Prices range from $475,000 to $1.7 million.
The Hudson County condo market has been slowly improving since January, according to the latest data. Sales prices have held fairly steady this year, down by less than a percentage point. And Jeffrey Otteau, whose company, the Otteau Valuation Group, analyzes residential sales statistics for brokers, said that in downtown Jersey City, the site of Crystal Point, the pace of condo sales had more than doubled since January.
But he and others did find it startling that the units selling the fastest at Crystal Point were the choicest and most expensive three-bedroom corner units, with water views on two sides.
?That part surprised me,? said Adrienne Albert, the chief executive of the Marketing Directors, based in Manhattan, whose company has marketed many previous Jersey waterfront buildings and is now marketing Crystal Point and two others in Hudson County. ?To have the three-bedrooms flying off the shelves is a little weird, in this economy,? she said.
Brian Fisher, a principal with Fisher Development Associates, the builder of Crystal Point, offered this explanation: ?People have the chance to get a magnificent apartment ? with the best views, the most spacious rooms, top-quality finishes, and every possible amenity ? and it is certain to retain its value for many years, no matter what. ?Value? is everything right now, even for the top-end buyer.?
Still, market specialists say it must be considered an entirely open question whether sales at the new condo tower can retain their momentum.
The sales volume may be up sharply for Jersey City, and also up 56 percent for the county over all so far this year ? but the city has 11 months of unsold inventory and the county has 13 months, according to Mr. Otteau?s calculations. Those numbers measure how long it would take to sell all of the condos currently listed if no other units were added to the market.
At 77 Hudson, another new glass condominium tower a block from the water in Jersey City, sales are slow despite significant discounting, according to several brokers.
Hovnanian Enterprises, 77 Hudson?s developer, said closings were set to start within the next few weeks, with a total of 120 of 440 sold so far. That works out to around 28 percent.
Asking prices at 77 Hudson have sunk since 2007, when urban-waterfront condos were hot. That was when work started there, and on a twin rental tower ? and shortly before work started on the Crystal Point condos and the RiversEdge rentals.
Studios, originally priced from the high $400,000s, are now available in the $300,000s; three-bedrooms on upper floors, first priced at $3 million, are now being advertised at ?$1 million-plus.?
Andrew Marshall is an operating partner at Roseland, which built RiversEdge and is the master developer for the whole of Port Imperial, a mixed condo and rental community that includes its own ferry station and retail stores. He describes Port Imperial as ?doing better than the rest of the market.?
Offering a 10-minute commute to Manhattan, and an array of amenities for both occupants and their pets, Port Imperial has rents pitched high for New Jersey, but ?bargain rate? for New York, Mr. Marshall said.
In the rental world, owners are able to adjust rates more quickly, and can earn profits over the long haul, said Jonathan Moore, a vice president at the Value Companies in Clifton, which owns and manages more than 3,500 apartments in the region. In the current off-kilter economy, he said, a free month?s rent or two is routinely offered at new buildings, but the most attractive buildings sometimes limit those incentives.
A discount on rent has not yet been announced at RiversEdge, but if it is offered, the apartment building would still be high-end for the area, brokers said.
A waterfront locale will always assure enduring value for any type of housing, said Ms. Albert of Marketing Directors.
Many RiversEdge apartments have direct views of Midtown Manhattan, and some take in the George Washington Bridge to the north or the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge to the south; a landscaped community terrace on the fourth floor offers the panorama.
At Crystal Point, from units facing east, the view seems more on the river than beside it ? like being aboard one of the vessels that dock across the river at the Manhattan cruise ship terminal.

I appreciate your comments, I think it is time some of us should get together...is there something here?
Yvonne

I have the pdf on Recall. Go to www.speaknj.com and look for the red check mark. The next step is to read the information carefully.
Yvonne

The 25% of registered voters can be misleading. I believe you mean 25% who voted in the last general election which will be this November. If 30,000 votes this November, you need 7,500.
Yvonne

I have been involved with community activities since the 1970's. This is the first time I am hearing citizens, not a political candidate, promote a recall. I am impressed.
Yvonne

People who live downtown should not target a recall of other wards. It would backfire. That is why I suggested the at-large candidates and mayor. Besides, honestly, I believe Richardson Ward F, does a good job. She votes her conscience. I attend most meetings.
Yvonne

I don't know. I will be willing to research this point. However, it will probably take one year to gather signatures. I believe a group of people should start the process. The council does not represent the public, they represent developers. It might be easier to target the mayor and at-large candidates because any ward can sign.
Yvonne

You must wait 1 year after an election to have a recall.
It is normal to collect signatures based on the last general election. If 30% of reigistered voters, voted in November, then you might need 25% of those register voters. This is something to consider.
Yvonne

I posted this show on nj.com. It is the full 28 minutes. The show is divided in two parts, an interview with Father Santora, a former JC Board Member and an interview with the residents of Loch Arbour who saw their school taxes rise.
Yvonne

http://videos.nj.com/2009/05/school_taxes.html

No, my problem is with the abatements. I videotape the Hoboken race last week. Both candidates said Judy Tripodi has started the reval process in Hoboken which means JC is not far behind. I lived through the last reval. The company which the city hired for reval based their numbers on new development (which was tax abated). My 1988 taxes increased to $16,000 from $3,000. Then we were on a calendar year, and we had to pay one and one half years over 12 months. The tax abated properties did not go down, in fact, their value rose. I saw people who purchased homes for $350,000, lose equity. After reval, the banks sold these homes for $250,000 or less. The city interferes with the free market when one groups receives a tax haven, and another group have to pay. Besides, according to the news, we are entering a recovery.
Yvonne

I love the comment " the city will get more from abatements in the final decade of the extended contract than it would from conventional taxes." Let's look at history-when Cucci was in office, he gave a 15 year abatement to the Cali building on Grove Street. The last five years of the abatement calls for more money for the city. McCann comes into office, he changes the last five years agreement and the city loses those extra dollars. McCann also changed the agreement on Merrill Lynch. He shorten to agreement from 2% to 1%. That change meant Merrill Lynch didn't pay pilots for years. The city said they "overpaid." The developer is making a statement they know will never happened. As a small homeowner, I want a change in my taxes too. Oh, I forgot I don't make campaign contributions.
Yvonne

When a building changes from 2 to 3 families, it is now under state law. The homeowner will have inspections from the state. What is considered legal as a 2 family is now deemed illegal as a 3 family. You are spending a lot of money to bring the building up to code. The state inspects every 5 years and charges the homeowner for the inspection.
Yvonne

Jersey City's taxpayers are subsidizing these cars. The developer received an abatement then had the abatement lowered. Where are their cars?
Yvonne

My choice is Louis Manzo for Mayor. He has a history of accomplishments as a Freeholder (stopping the incinerator) and Assemblyman Highlands Preservation Act. He produced more bills than anyone. Reval will happen during the next four years, we need someone with experience in City Hall not someone new to government. Manzo has made friends in the Assembly which is important for Jersey City. I do like Dan, but he lacks the experience and connections in the Assembly, unfortunately, it is who you know that counts. I will vote for Dan's at-Large ticket (Andrew & Emilio) and I will vote for Frank Scalcione for at-large. He is a buisinessman whose family has been here for several generations. He is a caring and concern person who looks beyond his own neighborhood. For Ward E, I will vote for Steven Fulop. Steven has earned the right to be re-elected.
Yvonne

More than 30 years ago, the city with my permission planted a tree in front of my house. I wanted to show the city where to plant the tree but they dug the hole before I got a chance. The tree cost homeowners then $15.00. That $15.00 tree cost me hundreds, in the range of perhaps $800.00 in plumbing bills. It was planted too close to my sewerage line. Finally, I asked the city to remove the tree. No more sewerage problems. Today, I noticed tree limbs falling and sometimes bringing down powerlines. One of my neighbors was almost hurt. There are too many trees touching homes in Downtown JC. I saw a fire spread to neighboring homes from the trees. Trees are nice but if they are not maintain, then they are a liability.
Yvonne

The fiscal year is over June 30th, next month. Our city spent the money before we had a final budget. We start July 1 with at least $25 million in the hole. The city cannot defer pensions and the city will not receive money from Honeywell. There are also grants in this budget that expires. Will the city still fund those programs through taxes? Actually, the grant money the city received happened in March. In my opinion, those monies should be for the new fiscal year starting July 1, 2009. Also, the ratable base dropped forcing a $3 dollar increase per thousand. Remember abatements are not ratables. If they were ratables, then the tax base would stablize and not dip.
Yvonne

To T-Bird
I plan to doing a video on how waterfront abatements became, your wrong on the facts. Just remember one thing, Colgate own the land, it shut down its plant because Colgate executives said the land was worth more money developed. Former Mayor McCann agreed with the Colgate executives which caused outraged for the hundreds of soon to be lay-off employees. It is those former blue collar workers put Anthony Cucci in power in 1985. They were upset with McCann's remark. It was not in Cucci interest to reward Colgate executives over the interests of his supporters.
Yvonne

Many towns in NJ pay $1.00 a year to serve as council or mayor with no perks. There is also the issue of health insurance that comes with the job.
Yvonne

There was no need to hand out abatements for the waterfront because former Governor Whitman reduced the state income taxes for companies that relocated there. There are a lot of freebies the public doesn't know about. The only people who want to maintain the status quo - developers, people who work for developers, or politicians.
Yvonne

To Know it all, you don't understand why abatements hurt the city. The county strikes the budget not the city, the county sets the tax rate based on the ratable base. Approximately 2.7 or 2.9 billions are not added to the ratable base. The ratable base is presently $6 billion. Taxes could be in the lower $40.00 range if the city did not hand out tax abatements. Let's look at Hoboken for comparison. Hoboken did not hand out abatements until recently. The Tea building is not abated, Corzine lives there. However, the newly constructed W hotel was. Dave Roberts decided to follow the nonsense of JC. For years, Hoboken was developed without abatements.
Yvonne

Chester, I have never seen you tax abatement hearings. Any time you want to debate the facts on my show send me an email. If you choose not to, then be quiet.
Yvonne

I am one of many people who spoke against former Mayor Schundler putting the city into debt to build the the Golden Door. It was built under the guise as a community center. Schundler wanted a charter school paid for my taxpayers. The rent should cover the bond debt and upkeeps. As a taxpayer, I pay board of ed taxes and capital improvements for the board of ed. The capital improvements is actually on the municipal part of the budget not the schools. The public should not pay be obligated to pay another capital improvements; especially since some families using the Golden Door live in tax abated buildings.
Yvonne.

Go to the tax office in JC-give them the address.
Yvonne

Jersey City is charging out of towners around $10,000. Loch Arbour is being charged $66,000 for sending their students to another district.
Yvonne
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009 ... _residents_say_schoo.html