O.B. residents kill open space tax after 10 years

OLD BRIDGE — Residents have put an end to a decade-long tax levy dedicated to open space preservation.

Voters in the Nov. 2 election shot down a public question asking to extend the open space tax, with 5,032 against the levy and 3,921 in favor.

The public opposition to the fund came as no surprise to Mayor Jim Phillips, who said that economic circumstances fueled voter sentiment.

“I’m not shocked that it didn’t pass,” he said. “It was the worst possible time to have a question like this on the ballot. There’s too much uncertainty today, and too many are underemployed. They voted with their pocketbooks.”

The fund was created in November 2000 following a township-wide survey in which 94 percent of responding residents were strongly in favor of preserving open space and 84 percent supported a stable funding source. Due to the survey results, a referendum was held to establish an open space trust. Residents at the time approved the ballot question in a vote of 9,717 to 6,308.

The Township Council then adopted an ordinance establishing an open space fund via an annual tax rate of 2 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. The levy was separate from the municipal tax rate.

The 2-cent tax rate cost the average homeowner approximately $30 per year at first, though that amount increased slightly as home values grew.

The open space tax raised $600,000 per year, and over the course of 10 years the township accrued $6 million to purchase open space. The referendum stipulated that the money would be used strictly for the preservation of open space, farmland or historic properties, and the payment of debt involved in such purposes. Funds could also be used to acquire development rights to a given property.

The township fund accounted for 20 percent of the money available for open space preservation. But it enabled Old Bridge to access state, federal and private money, providing the additional 80 percent in preservation funds. Open Space Committee member Blanche Hoffman noted that the fund allowed the township to accumulate approximately $40 million in outside funding.

The fund contributed to every open space acquisition in the past 10 years, including major preservation projects like Cedar Ridge, Veterans Park and the Cottrell Farm purchase. Open space funds also were used to add land to the Phillips Preserve and Mannino Park.

However, residents were not too eager to renew the tax.

“This referendum was asking for a continuance of something residents have been paying into for the past 10 years. But the operative word on the ballot was ‘tax,’” Phillips said. “And the clear majority of residents would like to avoid another tax like the plague. So they voted to spare themselves a small tax. It’s a sign of the times.”

He also noted that, in 2000, overdevelopment was the primary issue in Old Bridge. Ten years later, a combination of township efforts and the economy has slowed development, so an open space fund is no longer as imperative.

“Old Bridge has put a halt to overdevelopment at this time,” Phillips said. “The building process has slowed down considerably due to the economy, and open space preservation is no longer an emergency situation.”

He said this is evidenced by a dramatic cutback in state funding for open space and a recently implemented requirement at the county level for townships to put up matching funds in order to obtain grants.

Perhaps in the future, the mayor said, there will be a demand for the trust once again.

“In years to come, maybe residents will look more favorably on an open space tax,” he said. “But for now, we need to do the best we can do with as little as possible.”

Phillips said township officials will do their best to continue to preserve open space when necessary, noting that other municipalities in Middlesex County have been able to make do without an open space fund.

“Many other townships do an excellent job without the fund, like Monroe,” he said. “And we will still take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves.”

Phillips said that when a piece of property becomes available, it will be presented to the council to vote on and be acquired through other means, such as bonding and grants from the state and county.

Old Bridge still has $1 million left in the fund to work with, he noted.

However, the elimination of the fund will make it more difficult for the township to acquire funding from other sources, since officials will no longer be able to offer matching funds.

“It’s going to be tougher to acquire open space now, and it will require more commitment on behalf of the township, but that means that we just need to be more selective in what we go for,” Phillips said.A

bove all, the mayor said that the vote against the open space fund has sent a clear message from residents.

“The message of the day is ‘reduce spending,’ and to make do with our financial situation,” Phillips said. “Families are worried about making ends meet, and this is a luxury that voters feel they can do without at this time.”

“Now I’m turning my attention to what I think people want: to economize. I was elected to serve the people, and the people have sent a message that the township needs to conserve and tighten its belt.”