Ocean Twp. voters fail to approve open space tax

Siciliano wants taxes from proposed center to offset local taxes

BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer

BY CHRISTINE VARNO
Staff Writer

An open space referendum was defeated by Ocean Township voters in the Nov. 2 election by a meager margin of 312 votes.

Now, one councilman is trying to put a positive spin on the defeat.

“I want to take tax money and give it back to the people,” said Christopher Siciliano, commenting on the failure of voters to approve a fund that would set aside tax revenue to preserve open space in the township.

“I am a proponent of open space,” he said. “We put it out to vote, and we had to go with the majority.”

The referendum, which was introduced by Dave Kochel, the township manager, and Siciliano, was defeated with 5,046 “no” votes and 4,734 affirmative votes.

There was a 71-percent voter turnout, with 12,815 of 18,237 registered voters casting ballots.

“A lot of people voted,” Siciliano said. “A huge turnout. I am just happy that people had a chance to vote.”

The tax would have supported an open space fund and increased taxes up to 4 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. Homeowners living in a home assessed at the median price of $188,000 would have paid $74 more per year in taxes if the referendum had been approved, Siciliano said.

The open space fund would have accumulated $750,000 annually and would have been used to preserve farmland and recreational areas and to block developers, according to Siciliano, who said he was hoping to preserve the area at the corner of Route 35 and Deal Road.

The 30 acres of property at that intersection is the proposed site for a shopping center known as Ocean Gate Commons, which will be anchored by a Stop & Shop supermarket.

On June 30, a traffic engineer testified on the center’s application at a special town zoning board meeting in the high school auditorium on West Park Avenue.

Testimony will continue on Nov. 30 at 7:30 p.m. at the high school.

“The only benefit [of rejection of the referendum] is a ratable,” Siciliano said. “I want to take the tax money [from the center] and give it to the township residents if the center is built.”

If the money from the center does not go directly back to the residents, Siciliano said he would propose using the funds to hire more police officers.

If the center is approved, he said, he will present the proposals to council after the center is built.

“I want to plant the seed now,” he said. “It [the proposal] would reduce taxes, even if by just a little bit.”

The center could possibly generate $300,000 to $400,000 in tax revenue annually, according to Siciliano, who said an exact value will be determined once the center is constructed.

“It is a big center with big ratables,” he said.

The developer, Cerruzzi Holdings, has proposed construction of a 189,326-square-foot building.