The council also approved the 2000 municipal budget with a 2-cent tax hike.
By: Jennifer Potash
The Princeton Borough Council introduced an ordinance Tuesday to submit to referendum a 1-cent open-space tax for the November ballot.
The council also approved a $17.5 million municipal budget that includes a separate 2-cent tax hike.
After rejecting the advice from Borough Administrator Robert Bruschi for a 2-cent open-space tax question – and warnings from Borough Attorney Michael J. Herbert that the "cumbersome" wording of the ordinance might be rejected by the Mercer County clerk – the council voted 5-1 to adopt the ordinance.
Council President Roger Martindell, who favors a citizen-led initiative as opposed to a public question placed by the governing body, cast the lone no vote.
The public hearing is set for July 11.
The question, as agreed upon by the council, follows the wording in the state statute that grants municipalities the authority to have an open-space tax, with one exception. The borough’s ordinance would not allow the tax to be used for acquisition, development or maintenance of farmland, which is permitted by state statute.
It would include wording for the acquisition of lands for recreation and conservation, maintenance, historic preservation and debt service for acquired lands.
Mr. Bruschi said he proposed a 2-cent open-space tax to allow for maximum flexibility for the borough to leverage state funds for open space.
Councilwoman Wendy Benchley and Councilman Ryan Lilienthal supported the 2-cent open-space tax. But they accepted the compromise of a 1-cent tax after Councilman David Goldfarb argued that the state statute authorizing municipal open-space taxes states that a half-cent dedicated tax is sufficient for municipalities to receive the highest possible percentage of state Green Acres grants.
"We don’t need a 1-cent, 2-cent or 7-cents tax like West Windsor has," Mr. Goldfarb said.
"Every penny raised causes pain for many residents of our community and for some of them it leads to a decision to leave," Mr. Goldfarb added.
Despite his vote to introduce the ordinance, Mr. Goldfarb said he would not vote in favor of the tax in November.
"I will do it in the spirit of compromise because if I did not, it would limit my ability to encourage compromise in the future," he said.
If the Borough Council adopts the ordinance and voters approve the open-space tax, the owner of a home assessed at the borough average of $340,962 would pay an open-space tax of $34 in 2001.
In another major action at the session, the Borough Council voted 4-1 to approve the budget. Mr. Martindell voted no and newly appointed Councilwoman Peggy Karcher abstained since she had not participated in budget discussions as a member of the council.
The $17.5 million budget plan would increase the tax rate from 60 cents to 62 cents per $100 of assessed property value. The proposed tax rate would mean the owner of a home assessed at the borough average of $340,962 would pay $2,114 in municipal taxes, about $77 more than in 1999.
The council introduced the budget May 9 with a 3-cent increase. The council cut 1 cent by trimming $50,000 from the Affordable Housing budget and moving $50,000 out of the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and into borough appropriated revenues at a June 8 meeting.
Mr. Martindell said he was voting against the overall budget because of concerns he has regarding the borough’s affordable-housing budget.
The 2000 budget amounts to a spending increase of 3.6 percent over the 1999 budget of $16.8 million. About 36 percent of the 2000 budget – $6.3 million – is to be raised by local property taxes.
Spending on salaries, a $371,262 increase over 1999, comprises the bulk of the budget increase. That increase includes $56,353 for a total of four new or expanded positions in the following departments: the administrator’s office, the finance department and construction department, including the conversion of a part-time custodian to full time at the Suzanne Patterson Senior Center.