BY JANE MEGGITT
Staff Writer
MILLSTONE — Township officials want to make sure Millstone gets its share of money for open space acquisition.
Assemblyman Michael Panter spoke with members of the Horseman’s Association of Millstone Township on issues related to open space and agriculture at its Nov. 16 meeting.
Legislative District 12, which he represents, includes Millstone and Colts Neck, which have a substantial number of horses, and Freehold and Oceanport, which are home to Freehold Raceway and Monmouth Park, respectively.
Panter, a Democrat who is just finishing his first year in the Assembly, called the past year “a pretty tough learning experience.” He is vice chairman of the Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee, where he said he is glad to be able to work on “so many issues I hold dear.”
Panter said Monmouth County will benefit from the highly publicized Highlands bill designed to protect the watershed in the Highlands region where about two-thirds of the state’s drinking water originates.
He and other local politicians were concerned that the Highlands bill would “suck up” all the money in the $150 million Garden State Preservation Trust Fund, which encompasses Green Acres, farmland preservation and other monies for open space acquisition. An amendment was added to the Highlands bill that guaranteed that Monmouth County would receive an equal share of trust fund for the next four years as they have for the past four years, which should total about $52 million.
He lamented a byproduct of the Highlands vote, the so-called “fast-track legislation,” which he said meant that all state agencies must complete their reviews on an application within 45 days and render a decision or the approval will be automatically granted.
Panter, who was one of only three Democrats to vote against it, said he saw more political pressure exerted to pass fast-tracking than with any other legislation.
Mayor Nancy Grbelja said Millstone was looking to collect $1.8 million in previously allocated funds from the Garden State Preservation Trust Fund, and was in the process of identifying properties
for additional preservation. She said Millstone has one-quarter of all the available open space left in the county.
She requested Panter’s assistance in getting Millstone as much open space money as possible, citing its designation as Tier 4B in the State Development and Redevelopment Plan, meaning it is a rural and environmentally sensitive area. Because of this designation, Grbelja said, Millstone is not subject to fast-track rules.
The township has no sewers or package sewage treatment plants, and contains the headwaters of five different watersheds.
Grbelja also said that when the state comes in to purchase property, the Division of Fish and Wildlife, which regulates hunting, has a right of first refusal to manage the property. If it chooses to manage those properties, hunting will be permitted. She feels this should be contingent on the township’s approval, as in many cases the municipality has also put in money to purchase the property.
As for racing, Panter said Monmouth Park is one-third of the total tax base of Oceanport. He considers racing an important open space issue because the racing and breeding industry, as well as the ancillary agricultural businesses it supports, is one of the major reasons there is any open space left in New Jersey.
Half of the state’s thoroughbred breeding farms are in Monmouth County, and the Standardbred breeding industry in the county is among the finest in the world.
Panter said racetracks in neighboring states, including New York, Delaware and Pennsylvania, have or soon will have slot machines, or video-lottery terminals (VLTs) at racetracks, which is an incentive for horse owners and breeders to move their stables to those states.
At this year’s Monmouth Park meet, the average daily purse was $300,000. The casino industry, which opposes VLTs outside of Atlantic City, is subsidizing the purses to bring it to $325,000 next year.
However, it is still shy of New York’s average of $400,000, which may go as high as $800,000 with VLTs at a track such as Saratoga, Panter said.
Panter said there was a battle in the Legislature between representatives of southern counties who have traditionally been opposed to any gambling outside Atlantic City, which they see as a competitive threat, and the racing industry.
In northern New Jersey, gamblers can now drive 20 minutes into New York and spend their wagering money on VLTs there. If VLTs were permitted at the Meadowlands, which already has transportation, packaging and other infrastructure, the casinos could recapture some of this lost business.
Panter feels acting Gov. Richard Codey, a former racehorse owner whose brother is the general manager of Freehold Raceway, understands the racing industry and will be a strong supporter. Codey has already ended discussions of leasing Monmouth Park and the New Jersey Sports and Exposition-run parks, Meadowlands and Monmouth Park, to private interests.