By maura dowgin
Staff Writer
HOLMDEL — Township residents will be asked to vote on an open space tax increase in November.
The Township Committee decided to put a question on the ballot asking residents to increase the municipal open space tax rate from 2.5 cents to 4 cents per $100 of assessed property valuation.
An increase of 1.5 cents on the tax rate would mean a resident with an average property assessment, $350,000, would pay an extra $50 in open space taxes per year, said Joseph Annecharico, the township’s chief financial officer.
Voter approval of the increase would mean the average property owner would pay $140 per year for open space, Annecharico said.
"If we wish to move forward with further open space acquisition, we will need more money to do so," said Mayor Larry Fink.
The money collected from the current 2.5-cent open space tax rate has all been allocated for prior land acquisitions and renovations at Cross Farm Park, Fink said.
The township is in negotiations with other landowners for purchase of open space property, including F&F Nurseries on the corner of Roberts and Crawfords Corner roads at a price of $7.2 million, Fink said.
The increased tax rate "would be a source of revenue for [the F&F Nursery purchase]," Deputy Mayor Janet Berk said.
"I think if you go higher than 1.5 cents (in increases), people just can’t afford it," said Committeewoman Serena DiMaso. "I think 1.5 cents is reasonable."
The voters will be able to tell the committee how they feel about the tax in November, Berk said.
"I think we have a good chance of it being approved because the county open space passed [on the ballot] last year, and it passed in Holmdel," Berk said.
"I think [a 4-cent open space tax rate] is in line [with open space taxes in other municipalities]," said Berk.
The highest municipal open space tax rate in the county is levied by Millstone Township with a 5-cent rate, said Matthew Clark, county tax administrator.
Matawan, Hazlet and Keyport do not have municipal open space taxes.
Hazlet put a referendum question on the ballot in 1998, 2001 and 2002 asking the residents for a 1-cent open space tax. In 2002, the question was voted down by 50 votes, said Hazlet Committeeman Christopher Cullen.
In November 2002, the Middletown voters approved a 1-cent increase to Middletown’s municipal open space tax to make the total tax rate 2 cents.
Monmouth County’s overall tax rate is currently 2.7 cents.
Middletown generates the most tax dollars for the county’s open space tax with $1,700,000. Holmdel is ranked seventh out of 53 county municipalities in the amount of money that goes to the county for open space with $727,000, Clark said.
The Holmdel committee asked residents to increase the tax to 4 cents in November 2001. The question failed by an 11-vote margin, with 1,858 residents against and 1,847 for the measure.