Concerns voiced that too much emphasis has been placed on open-space at the expense of senior housing.
By: Jeff Milgram
By a 3-2 vote, the Princeton Township Committee voted Tuesday night to kill an ordinance that would have placed a referendum on a 1-cent increase to the municipal open-space tax on the November ballot.
The increase from 2 cents to 3 cents per $100 of assessed value would have brought in an additional $234,000 a year, much of which would have gone toward upkeep on the township’s parks.
Deputy Mayor Steve Frakt, who had voted for the ordinance when it was introduced in July, became the first member of the committee to speak out against it Tuesday night.
"Maintenance should be a regular expense of the operating budget," Mr. Frakt said. "Dedicated taxes … are a poor way to do your budget. … I cannot support the increase."
Mr. Frakt also criticized the speed at which the committee was forced to take up the referendum. State law requires tax increases be voted on by the public. To get the referendum on the November ballot, the committee would have had to pass the ordinance by today.
Township voters approved a 1-cent tax to buy and preserve open space for recreational purposes in 1998. In November 2000, voters overwhelmingly approved an increase in the tax from 1 cent to 2 cents per $100 of assessed value.
While Mr. Frakt didn’t mention the words "senior housing" when he explained his opposition to the latest referendum, other members of the committee did.
Committeeman William Enslin, who abstained when the ordinance was introduced, said, "The maintenance needs are significant, but I cannot support more money for acquisition. … The acquisition of open-space has been at the expense of senior housing. That leaves me with a no vote as well."
If the ordinance was seriously wounded by Mr. Frakt and Mr. Enslin, Committeewoman Roz Denard provided the coup de grâce.
"Princeton Township has already met its goal of 25 percent open space. We don’t need any more. … Not at the expense of senior housing," said Ms. Denard, who had opposed the ordinance when it was introduced.
The ordinance was not without its supporters.
"I wholeheartedly support the referendum, because it should be supported by the community and not by interest groups," Mayor Phyllis Marchand said before the vote. "There won’t be a public discussion if there isn’t a referendum. There’s room in Princeton Township for senior housing. I support senior housing and this referendum. I really think it’s a choice that should be made by the public."
When the vote came, only Mayor Marchand and Committeeman Leonard Godfrey supported by referendum.
The ordinance was criticized during the public hearing that preceded the vote.
"I think 2 cents is plenty. We don’t need any more. If you do pass it, I hope that it’s voted down," said township resident Henry Frank.
Former Mayor Jim Floyd said the township needed more affordable housing, not more open space.
"I am diametrically opposed to this," Mr. Floyd said.
After the meeting, Mayor Marchand was philosophical about the vote.
"You win some, you lose some," she said.
The committee also put one of the finishing touches on an open-space purchase, the 40-acre Gulick property off Princeton-Kingston Road, near River Road. The committee voted unanimously to authorize bonding for $2.77 million to buy the property. Thirty acres will be set aside as open-space and about 10 acres protected under a conservation farm easement.