>Those are the newest figures as released by the state that google showed to me, as the post was made in 2022. You're WELCOME to post actual data from FY22 from the state that contradicts it. Go for it.

You have just proved that you are intellectually dishonest if you think that data about our local BOE can only be considered if made available through a state website. The JC BOE budget is public knowledge. That you can't wrap your mind (or accept the fact) that the budget is just shy of 1 BILLION DOLLARS (973 MM to be precise, something that is public knowledge and widely reported all over) and that we only have ~30,000 students is a you problem. Those figures are fact.

Dude, you are using data that is terribly outdated. Those figures are from FY2021. Not sure if you are purposefully ignoring what has transpired since then, or if you are simply clueless about the dramatic budget increase approved by our BOE last year. When faced with state cuts and a necessary increase in the school levy, they quite literally decided to simultaneously increase the total budget by over 15%. Our current per pupil spending is just shy of 33K. That’s not a guess. That’s a fact.

Honestly, I have NO IDEA how they are getting away with it. If it is that bad that mice and rats are running around, I am really surprised that LoFi is putting up with it. But, what you describe is precisely why people are often not cool with chickens and other farm livestock kept within city limits or in close proximity to where they live. And, by the way, I say that as someone who 100% would love to keep some animals. Growing up, my paternal grandpa ran a small farm and so I got to spend a lot of time around chickens, rabbits, and pigs. Those are some fond memories, but I totally get why people would be opposed to chickens living close by.

You are confused. We don’t have a funding problem. We are currently spending just shy of a BILLION dollars to teach 30K students, or about 33K dollars per pupil. That’s the highest in the State, among the highest (if not outright highest) in the nation. So, definitely not a funding proble, but rather a spending problem.

Actually, it’s 10.50€. So, about $11.50 USD.

The municode site includes all changes, including very recent ones. I’m not sure how they do it, but they manage to publish ordinances and code changes before any other source I have seen. The most recent changes to the published JC municipal code are from last month (December 2022) - the only relatively recent changes dealing with regulations around chicken are from 2015, and it's only stuff about the cost of licenses. The council may have had debates or discussions about chicken regulations back in. 2011, but no code changes were adopted.

The lack of enforcement does not mean that it is legal. In JC, keeping poultry is definitely much more regulated than in NYC. The regulations in NYC with regards to chicken are quite lenient: there are no restrictions on quantity or space/distance (except for poultry markets, which must keep 25 feet) - the only restriction in NYC is no roosters. As for other poultry, duck and geese are not allowed. Compare that to JC, which has regulations dictating distance restrictions, amount of chicken that can be kept, and licensing requirements. But, of course, this being JC, there is ZERO enforcement, so there’s that.

That thing about getting approval from neighbors is actually laid out in the municipal code, but only with regards to pigeons.

I’m not sure about the chicken coop behind LoFi, but it could be that it was there before the municipal code was enacted or modified, so it would have been "grandfathered in" as is the norm with many other regulations.

This is the JC way!

dafuq!? Of course not. Everybody knows it should be THEC.

>Señor!

FIFY

Slow your roll, my man... before people get ideas and don't bother looking into the details, there are several legal requirements that must be satisfied before someone can legally keep chickens in JC. Here is a link to the municipal code section dealing with chickens:

https://library.municode.com/nj/jersey_city/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=CH90AN_ARTIIBIPO

Basically, you need a license, and a chicken coop can not be within 25 feet of another structure in which people reside, work, or get together. Given the housing density in JC, that proximity restriction would disqualify most people from being able to keep chickens.

Well, like I explained above, the trick is to be savvy as far as how to minimize usage by leveraging other things. We have great Sun exposure (this is a factor that weighed heavily in choosing our current place, as well as our previous one) and we have our blinds open all day (during Summer) which allows in all the Sun available during the day. Our place gets warm enough from just the Sun exposure that we never run the heat during the day. At night, if we need it, we may run heat in our bedrooms while sleeping, though that is somewhat rare, as our place remains warm enough. For Summers, it is a bit trickier. After 9 or 10, we bring down the blinds, or it would be unbearably hot. Even with blinds down, AC may become necessary from time to time. I do like having windows open (more like cracked open, as few buildings allow you to actually open them more than a few inches) and if the day is windy enough, the draft can help keep things cooled nicely.

You are really missing the math on this one. It is 60 W spent to power the bulb, with about 95% of that radiated as heat. You combine that several times over for the amount of bulbs turned on at any given time, and then you have to remove that heat from the ambient temperature by using MORE energy to power the AC. In essence, it is x2 for whatever bulb wattage. In new construction luxury buildings, where recessed lighting are common, and multiples of those, you could be looking at 6 - 10 bulbs turned on at once.

Totally... I lump that as part of A/C. But, even with electric heat (as is more common in new construction, due to the use of PTACs) I would find $200 to be excessive for a winter bill. Ours is usually around $100. This past month was a notable exception for us, for a number of reasons, as I already explained.

It's 100% like that. In JC, as with the rest of Hudson County, patronage is a way of life, and very much alive and kicking.

You always bring up that point, which ignores all the heat those incandescent lights give off. So, on a hot summer day, you are running MORE a/c to undo the added heat all those bulbs add to the ambient air. The math of comparing the usage of 14W bulbs to 60W bulbs yields an incomplete and erroneous take if you don't account for all the other energy being spent.

I can tell you, without any sort of doubt, that I was saving a good chunk of money after switching all bulbs to LEDs. Enough that the cost of replacing bulbs (before LEDs became as cheap as they are today) was recouped within two or three months. And, those same bulbs are still going strong today, which is another upside. Heck, some newer bulbs I bought recently may quite literally outlive me.

Personally, I would consider a $200 bill to be excessive, but there are SO MANY factors. How often do you cook and bake at home? What kind of light bulbs do you use? How much AC do you actually use? Do you watch a lot of TV? When working from home, do you use a lot of electronics? Do you have good (ie, direct) sun exposure (not the same as good amount of daylight!)

On a personal note, we just had our highest Winter bill ever in JC, but much of it can be attributed to hosting family and friends a lot over the holidays, the PSE&G rate increase (~10% increase compared to last year?) and additional usage as a result of our recent move. I expect our usage to normalize in the coming months. We have a large 2bd unit (just shy of 1200sf) and reside over 40 stories high, but we have direct sun exposure from sunrise to sunset, so that helps keep the apartment warm without having to use much AC at all. We also use LED bulbs throughout our unit, which I find lower our electrical bill substantially. Unfortunately, we now have electrical stove/oven, so that will incur a substantial bump in our electrical bill given how often we cook and bake at home.

I have CLEAR and have only ever used it once. It’s free to me, so I keep it active, but I really don’t care all that much for the product. I find that TSA Pre Check is perfect for my needs and the airports I frequent. I seldom wait more than five minutes to reach the TSA agent, though I know some people (my partner being one) have been faced with situations where not having CLEAR would have meant missing a flight due to unexpected crazy lines because of TSA dealing with staff shortages.

Washington DCA does the same thing! Super annoying. The last time I transmitted through there, it was closed by 6 or 7. Way too early.

I know, right!? With COVID and all, some of these older JC legends seem vulnerable. I havent seen PATH Teddy in a while. I hope he is OK. The last time I saw him, he was not looking well at all.

Not a pimp... That's Elijah! A veritable JC legend.

My personal pet peeve is the lazy assholes that double park in front of an EMPTY SPOT! Like, dude, not only are you double parking and impeding the flow of traffic, but you are also blocking someone from being able to use that perfectly fine empty spot. I see it ALL THE TIME in JC, but never seen it elsewhere.

Well, there’s also that guy desperately trying to unload his overpriced 1-bed lease at the Hendrix - only $3.7K and a two-minute walk to Grove St.

Yeah, I think too many people are truly unaware (ignorant?) about their overall energy usage. I hear horror stories of ~500 dollar bills and I can't wrap my mind around it. These friends I mentioned earlier had a bill of over 400 IN THE FALL before they decided to enroll in the EPP program. During the same month, our bill was ~70 for just about 20% less space. It just doesnt make sense to me.