glx, if it is 100% illegal to use unsecured wireless connections then show me the law that says so and tell the FBI that I want to turn myself in.

I get free WiFi access in most areas downtown Jersey City, NJ right now; just sitting in front of buildings. Some people living in apartment buildings do not pay for a internet connection because they get it for free from their neighbor without them even knowing, this is perfectly legal and safe for all parties involved.

As far as city government providing free internet access, this would be very costly with WiFi because each antenna can only reach a 500' radius... However there is a new technology emerging called WiMAX IEEE 802.16. A WiMAX antenna can reach 30 miles and WiMAX is much faster than DSL or Road Runner.

WiMAX may take a few years to become available, Intel is releasing a WiMAX card soon and phones are being developed to work on WiMAX networks. It is unclear to me if a city can put up a WiMAX antenna and let the signal be broadcast for free to everyone; if this is the case then everyone in New York City could get free internet and phone service.

My opinion is that Jersey City is simply too technology backward to do anything like this. Lets get the www.cityofjerseycity.com website replaced first, then lets make sure that people can get access to computers in the library and schools before we bite off more than we can chew. What good is a free internet connection if most people in this city cannot afford a computer?

In my original post that started this topic I wrote:
Quote:
This is exactly what I asked the council during this meeting after several of them went on and on about how the developers pay more and the city gets more with a tax abatement. They also stated that Newport was generous enough to build the waterfront walkway into Hoboken as part of the agreement. The truth is that Newport is legally obligated to build the waterfront walkway by NJ State law AND the State of NJ is paying for the portion that connects into Hoboken.

Here is how I was quoted in the Jersey City Reporter:

Dan Falcon, a 10-year Newport resident, asked the council to table the Shore Club abatement until an analysis from an independent accounting firm could show the abatement would benefit the city financially.

Condo buyers do get the tax abatement however this benefits the developer more than anyone else. In the condo situation the simple math is that if a condo buyer pays $4000.00/year with a tax abatement the developer can get more for each unit. Compare that with a buyer faced with $7000.00/year in regular taxes, in that case the developer would have to reduce the purchase price accordingly to sell the units. Prices for condos are partially determined by the taxes assessed.

Its even more apparent with rentals. The builder always charges the renter market rate rent, the abatement savings is never passed onto the renter. The developer pockets the abatement incentive in both the condo and rental unit situations.

However there is an argument that most politicians make in favor of tax abatements for luxury waterfront development. It goes something like this: "When we issue an abatement, the developer pays less and Jersey City gets more." If there is any truth to this then politicians would back this up in writing with financial reports, projections, and analysis prepared by independent accounting firms for both new abatements and existing abatements. In absence of any financial reporting I can only believe that Jersey City politicians are liars or crooks and this city is broke as a direct result of their incompetence.

Quote:

Hey Hey Hey;
This topic is about Legal Grounds, NOT play grounds, this particular place is way to small to accomidate kids, pets, and even most adults.

Did anyone hear that they have a kewl coffee roaster and a expresso machine that is smokin?

I went to this place today and met the owners, it looks like a fantastic place. They will have sandwiches, pastries, and they are roasting their own coffee.

They are opening on Sunday Feb. 27, 2005.

Legal Grounds Coffee Company
170 Grand Street
Jersey City, NJ

State law requires 60% of to agree to the secession, who would like to orgainize this for Jersey City?


Fed-up neighbors want out of town

Monday, November 8, 2004

By HEATHER KAYS
HERALD NEWS

ELMWOOD PARK - After trying for some time to get the Borough Council to respond to their parking, traffic and litter problems, a group of 42 residents on Florence Place say they want out.

Residents from a block with 46 houses nestled up against Route 4 and the Elmwood Shopping Center are petitioning to secede from Elmwood Park and become part of Fair Lawn.

And although it means higher taxes and a bureaucratic headache for all involved - plus, no promise of a solution to their problems - the residents are committed. They have obtained the signatures of 92 percent of those who would be affected by the secession. State law requires 60 percent to proceed with the annexation process.

"After a month of meetings with the council and zero results, we don't want to be a part of Elmwood Park anymore," said Jerry Lobozzo, a Florence Place resident for several years. "Basically we are fed up with our government. We don't want to live in this community anymore."

But Mayor Richard Mola said that his office has received several calls from residents saying that they have been harassed and coerced into signing the annexation petition.

"I'm getting phone calls from people saying that they don't want to go to Fair Lawn. They seem like they are scared, said Mola, who has held office for 33 years. "Some residents are throwing a fit because they didn't get their way. I mean, is this really all over parking?"

Elmwood Park residents say it has been more than three decades of the same complaints: Lack of parking for residents on their own streets, unrelenting and excessive traffic, and constant litter problems, creating a rodent infestation that required the local health department's intervention with a nearby business.

A study done by a Fair Lawn committee of the Route 4 corridor in 2000 found that the positives of having a busy service highway nearby were "more than offset by a number of negative factors" including excessive traffic and lack of adequate parking, particularly on the north side of Route 4, where Florence Place is located.

A variety of solutions were discussed with Elmwood Park residents and at council meetings. Forming of a committee to discuss a solution, building a municipal parking lot using eminent domain, establishing a parking permit system for residents only and establishing stricter time and parking regulations have been debated. But attempts to find a solution that both residents and Borough Council members can agree on have been unsuccessful, according to some residents and members of the council.

"For years the mayor and council has shut their eyes to us. They have ignored and abused us," said Tony Ambrogio. A longtime resident and semiretired contractor, Ambrogio, 68, has owned his home on Florence Place since 1969.

"I've been at this for over 30 years," he said. "It's not responsible government when you just don't respond to people like that."

So the residents collected information on annexation, contacted Fair Lawn Mayor David Ganz and Assemblyman Robert M. Gordon - both carefully noncommittal - and have held several meetings to discuss what the possibility of annexing themselves really means.

A neighborhood attempting to move borders and change from one community to another is rare, if not unheard of, according to several state and local officials.

"I have not heard about this before," said Deborah Kole, staff attorney for the New Jersey League of Municipalities. "I've heard of towns trying to secede to another county. There are towns that have merged. But I have not heard of one street wanting to secede from one town to another. It's bizarre."

Ernest Reock Jr., former director for the Center of Government Services at Rutgers University, said the biggest factor in any annexation is taxes. "Generally there is someone who will not be happy with the situation," he said. "If residents leave, those left in the town have to make up for the loss of taxes."

In Elmwood Park, the tax rate is $3.09 per $100 of the assessed value of the home, according to the borough tax assessor. The average homeowner pays about $4,500 a year in taxes. In Fair Lawn, the rate is $3.67 per $100 of the assessed value, according to the borough tax assessor. But because homes in general have greater assessed value in Fair Lawn, the average homeowner pays $6,700 a year in property taxes. Other services, including fire, police and waste disposal, are essentially the same in either community.

"Usually it's a municipality trying to secede to a town with lower taxes," Reock said. "But that's not the situation you have in Elmwood Park. That's what makes this case so unusual."

After the petition is verified and accepted by Elmwood Park, it would go to the Planning Board so that a study could be done on the problem. Next, Elmwood Park would have to approve the move. After that, the Borough Council of Fair Lawn would have to approve it. If denied in either case, the residents could go to court to appeal.

"The possibility of this going through is probably pretty slim," said Reock. "But really, it depends on how passionate the residents are and how willing they are to fight."

The sacrifices are worth it, according to the residents.

"Even if we don't get relief from our parking problems, so what?" said Ambrogio. He said residents have not talked to Fair Lawn officials about the parking situation. "If this goes through, there are no guarantees. But at least we will belong to a better community. Now we have nothing. So ... what are we possibly going to lose? Nothing."

http://www.bergenrecord.com/page.php? ... sN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2NjEwNDY4