Officials want 2008 committee to address ballot misprint issue

By Jessica Ercolino
    UPPER FREEHOLD — In the recent ballot misprint affecting the Upper Freehold open space tax increase, the current Township Committee has made no decision in addressing the issue and likely will not until next year.
    Officials decided last week to wait until the 2008 Township Committee takes office in January to address the mistake, according to Township Administrator Barbara Bascom.
    Republicans Lori Horsnall-
Mount and Stan Moslowski, both first-time candidates, won the two available seats for next year’s committee. Current committeemen Stephen Alexander, Robert Faber and David Reed will retain their seats.
    Mayor Steve Fleischacker, who lost his seat in last month’s election, and Deputy Mayor Bill Miscoski, who chose not to run, will not be part of the decision.
    During the election, voters approved what they believed was a 2-cent increase in the open space tax rate, 962-899. Instead, the question that appeared on the ballot proposed an increase of “.02¢,” raising $2,640, instead of the planned $264,000, for farmland preservation.
    The intended amount would have given the township the ability to borrow roughly $2.5 million for farmland preservation, according to Chief Financial Officer Dianne Kelly. The $264,000 in extra tax revenue each year would cover the annual principal and interest costs over 20 years.
    Ms. Bascom said the new committee might consider taking the issue before a judge or correcting the tax amount at the next general election. The township would not likely consider a special election due to cost, she said.
    The misprint, which went unnoticed for nearly three months, was brought to light by Upper Freehold resident Walter Helfrecht at a Township Committee meeting five days before the election, but it was too late to revise the ballots.
    The Township Committee unanimously voted on Aug. 16 to put the question on the ballot, and the same mistake was made when documenting the current open space tax: “.04¢.”
    The question was reviewed by several officials and no one noticed the mistake, Ms. Bascom said.