To Keep Parks Spruced Up, Open Space Tax Considered
A decision for public referendum, the tax would fund maintenance and debt on parks and recreational lands.
With the township tightening the belt on finances to meet state guidelines this year, the Environmental Commission is considering another way to pay for maintenance and debt on Cranford's parks.
The EC batted around the idea of an 'open space' tax at a meeting Tuesday. The charge will not fall under the 2 percent property tax cap umbrella imposed by the state.
It's also a common charge in N.J., with around 232 other towns in the state collecting this fee including Scotch Plains and New Providence. With the tax, a Cranford resident with a home assessed at $200,000 would likely pay $20 a year, said chair Nelson Dittmar.
All EC members agreed the decision should go to public referendum, allowing residents to vote on the issue in the election season.
Among residents it will likely "start off all sorts of bells and whistles, hoot and hollering, but it's a way to pay for things," member Steve Jandoli said.
An objection from Commissioner Edward O' Malley centered on the toughness of the budget year in 2011. In a time when township officials might consider laying off police officers and other personnel, O'Malley said he believes even putting the tax out to vote "sends a mixed message."
However regardless of whether the tax passes, budget cuts under the 2 percent cap will have to happen – about which several members agreed they'd have to educate the public.
Without a tax, some members forcast open space services going downhill.
"If we don't parks and recreation and historical resources in town are going to suffer," Jandoli said, adding that those services are generally the first to "get whacked as far as funding when times are tight."
Regardless of whether the body chooses to bring it up this year or the next, Dittmar concluded the discussion saying that the EC should at least consider what the fee could be used to pay for in the coming months.
"We can at least put our foundation down," he said.
Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article stated that Commissioner Ed O'Malley saw police officer layoffs coming in Cranford. In fact, Mr. O'Malley only mentioned layoffs as a possibility in such a budget year.
Edward O'Malley
1:04 am on Thursday, January 6, 2011
I do not wish to obsess about comments obliquely attributed to me, but to be clear, I did not say, as one could easily infer from the above, that I forsee laying off police officers in this difficult budget year. Unfortunate editorial phrasing. We held our first budget meeting tonight, (1/5), and as expected, it looks like a tough year. At this early point in the process we can not take the possibility of layoffs off the table, but they are hardly a forgone conclusion either. We have many things to pursue first. In any event, I do not believe that now is the time to undertake a referendum on a local open space tax.
Ed
BJ Kowalski
6:37 pm on Thursday, January 6, 2011
I would like to note that the parks featured in your photos are Union County parks located in Cranford (Nomahegan and Rahway River Parkway) -- which would not be affected by a municipal open space tax. Part of our Union County Open Space funding goes for upkeep of these and other parks, as well as for improvements to athletic fields and playgrounds. Cranford is fortunate to have quite a few county parks, including: Lenape, McConnell, Munsee Pond, Sperry, and Unami.