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SOUTHERN NJ SAYS LET OTHERS BUY SPACE
Date: 031029
From: http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/
By Thomas Barlas, Staff Writer, (609) 272-7201
Press of Atlantic City, October 27, 2003
Southern New Jersey municipalities are letting someone else pick up
the tab when it comes to preserving open space.
Of the 187 municipalities in the state with local open-space taxes
used to buy and conserve land, only two are in Atlantic, Cape May,
Cumberland and Salem counties, which stretch across the bottom of New
Jersey.
Officials with state and private land-conservation groups are worried
about the future of that region if more southern New Jersey
municipalities do not come up with their own funds to help buy open
space while it is not only available, but also affordable.
But municipal officials find themselves in a quandary: Faced with
already-spiraling property taxes, asking residents to put up with an
additional levy is not a viable option.
Many southern New Jersey municipalities also feel there's no need to
make major open-space purchases. They contend that it already is being
done by federal, state and county governments, along with private
organizations, which for years have been buying considerable parcels
of land in the region for conservation.
For instance:
- The Nature Conservancy alone owns about 1,200 acres, primarily in
Cape May, Cumberland and Salem Counties. PSE&G has gobbled up
hundreds of acres of land along the Delaware Bay as part of an
agreement with the state that allows it to forgo cooling towers at
its nuclear plants.
- Hundreds of other acres are under the control of entities like
state preserves and the Cape May National Wildlife Refuge.
- Couple that with development pressure, especially in Cumberland and
Salem counties, that's considerably less than in other parts of the
state, and many municipalities see no urgent need to raise money to
buy and conserve land, said Jay Laubengeyer, director of Nature
Conservancy's Delaware Bayshore Program.
"I don't think that can continue for long," Laubengeyer said. "Some
of the land that is protected now is really just a regulation change
away from not being protected."
Those southern New Jersey municipalities could, depending on the
location, eventually pay top dollar for land they could buy now at a
relatively reasonable cost, he said.
"Land is not getting any cheaper," Laubengeyer said.
Meanwhile, New Jersey officials say they cannot understand why more
municipalities will not impose a local open-space tax, particularly
when doing so would significantly increase the amount of state Green
Acres money that it could receive.
"It's in their best interest to set up their own pool of funding,"
Green Acres Administrator John Watson said.
There also are other reasons why some municipalities look at open-
space acquisition with some skepticism.
Last year Millville, Cumberland County, called for a moratorium on
land acquisitions within its borders by state agencies or other
agencies under state control. City officials felt they were losing
land that could be the site of much- needed ratables.
"We love the quality of life and open space in Millville, but we must
have balance," Mayor Jim Quinn said. "Either the state needs to stop
taking land or else it should give us big chunks of money."
Other municipalities - such as Egg Harbor Township in Atlantic County
- enacted a local open-space tax to buy and conserve land, or put it
to public use, out of necessity.
One of the fastest-growing municipalities in the region, it is
filling with people who want recreational activities, and want them
now, Township Deputy Administrator Dale Goudreau said during a recent
Atlantic County planning summit.
The tax has allowed the township to broker more land deals than it
could through other fiscal measures, such as bonding, he said. Those
deals help to both offset the need for open space and meet the needs
of new residents, he said.
The only other municipal open-space tax in the four-county region is
in Pittsgrove Township, Salem County.
On the ballot next month, Weymouth Township and West Cape May will
seek voter approval for a local open-space tax of 1 cent per $100 of
assessed value.
Pilesgrove Township in Salem County wants approval for a local open-
space tax of as much as 3 cents per $100 of assessed value.
Pittsgrove Township's open-space tax is 1/2 cent per $100 of assessed
value and will go back on the ballot: The township is asking residents
for permission to raise the levy by 21/2 cents.
Located in the western end of Atlantic County, rural Weymouth
Township might not seem like it needs to worry about raising money to
buy open space.
But Jill Baxter, its environmental commission chairperson, said the
municipality wants to be spared the problems such as sprawl and higher
property taxes caused by the kind of development occurring in other
sections of the county.
"You look at an undeveloped lot and say it's open space," she said.
"It's not. You're looking at the possibility of how many houses."
* * *
To email Thomas Barlas at The Press: TBarlas@pressofac.com
Date: 031029
From: http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/
By Thomas Barlas, Staff Writer, (609) 272-7201
Press of Atlantic City, October 27, 2003
Southern New Jersey municipalities are letting someone else pick up
the tab when it comes to preserving open space.
Of the 187 municipalities in the state with local open-space taxes
used to buy and conserve land, only two are in Atlantic, Cape May,
Cumberland and Salem counties, which stretch across the bottom of New
Jersey.
Officials with state and private land-conservation groups are worried
about the future of that region if more southern New Jersey
municipalities do not come up with their own funds to help buy open
space while it is not only available, but also affordable.
But municipal officials find themselves in a quandary: Faced with
already-spiraling property taxes, asking residents to put up with an
additional levy is not a viable option.
Many southern New Jersey municipalities also feel there's no need to
make major open-space purchases. They contend that it already is being
done by federal, state and county governments, along with private
organizations, which for years have been buying considerable parcels
of land in the region for conservation.
For instance:
- The Nature Conservancy alone owns about 1,200 acres, primarily in
Cape May, Cumberland and Salem Counties. PSE&G has gobbled up
hundreds of acres of land along the Delaware Bay as part of an
agreement with the state that allows it to forgo cooling towers at
its nuclear plants.
- Hundreds of other acres are under the control of entities like
state preserves and the Cape May National Wildlife Refuge.
- Couple that with development pressure, especially in Cumberland and
Salem counties, that's considerably less than in other parts of the
state, and many municipalities see no urgent need to raise money to
buy and conserve land, said Jay Laubengeyer, director of Nature
Conservancy's Delaware Bayshore Program.
"I don't think that can continue for long," Laubengeyer said. "Some
of the land that is protected now is really just a regulation change
away from not being protected."
Those southern New Jersey municipalities could, depending on the
location, eventually pay top dollar for land they could buy now at a
relatively reasonable cost, he said.
"Land is not getting any cheaper," Laubengeyer said.
Meanwhile, New Jersey officials say they cannot understand why more
municipalities will not impose a local open-space tax, particularly
when doing so would significantly increase the amount of state Green
Acres money that it could receive.
"It's in their best interest to set up their own pool of funding,"
Green Acres Administrator John Watson said.
There also are other reasons why some municipalities look at open-
space acquisition with some skepticism.
Last year Millville, Cumberland County, called for a moratorium on
land acquisitions within its borders by state agencies or other
agencies under state control. City officials felt they were losing
land that could be the site of much- needed ratables.
"We love the quality of life and open space in Millville, but we must
have balance," Mayor Jim Quinn said. "Either the state needs to stop
taking land or else it should give us big chunks of money."
Other municipalities - such as Egg Harbor Township in Atlantic County
- enacted a local open-space tax to buy and conserve land, or put it
to public use, out of necessity.
One of the fastest-growing municipalities in the region, it is
filling with people who want recreational activities, and want them
now, Township Deputy Administrator Dale Goudreau said during a recent
Atlantic County planning summit.
The tax has allowed the township to broker more land deals than it
could through other fiscal measures, such as bonding, he said. Those
deals help to both offset the need for open space and meet the needs
of new residents, he said.
The only other municipal open-space tax in the four-county region is
in Pittsgrove Township, Salem County.
On the ballot next month, Weymouth Township and West Cape May will
seek voter approval for a local open-space tax of 1 cent per $100 of
assessed value.
Pilesgrove Township in Salem County wants approval for a local open-
space tax of as much as 3 cents per $100 of assessed value.
Pittsgrove Township's open-space tax is 1/2 cent per $100 of assessed
value and will go back on the ballot: The township is asking residents
for permission to raise the levy by 21/2 cents.
Located in the western end of Atlantic County, rural Weymouth
Township might not seem like it needs to worry about raising money to
buy open space.
But Jill Baxter, its environmental commission chairperson, said the
municipality wants to be spared the problems such as sprawl and higher
property taxes caused by the kind of development occurring in other
sections of the county.
"You look at an undeveloped lot and say it's open space," she said.
"It's not. You're looking at the possibility of how many houses."
* * *
To email Thomas Barlas at The Press: TBarlas@pressofac.com