HILLSBOROUGH: Open space vote cleared for ballot

16th District’s two Assembly members split with state senator on issue

By Gene Robbins, Managing Editor
Voters will get their chance in November to say whether a portion of an existing tax should be diverted permanently to help open space, historic preservation and flood buyouts.
Gov. Christie called the Assembly back into session on Monday to deal with bail reform (it, too, was passed to be put on the fall ballot) and that gave sponsors of long-term funding for open space the opportunity to have the full Assembly vote on the measure.
It passed, 56-9 with one abstention.
Senator Christopher "Kip" Bateman, a Republican from Branchburg, co-sponsored the measure. He called the day "important for the future of New Jersey."
"Voters now have the opportunity to make sure there is a stable funding source to protect lands that guard against flooding and water contamination and preserve open spaces important to the natural beauty of their communities," said Sen. Bateman.
"New Jersey has a long history of preservation and by dedicating just a small percentage of corporate business taxes we can guarantee those efforts will continue long into the future without adding any burden on taxpayers," he said.
Environmentalists have long sought a permanent and predictable source of money for open-space and related projects.
The legislation would take 4 percent of the corporation tax revenue from mid-2015 to mid-2019, and 6 percent after that date. Because it amends the state constitution, voters will see it as a referendum question on the Nov. 4 ballot.
Voter approval isn’t a sure thing, but New Jersey has approved 13 Green Acres or related bond issues going back decades, although the last one in 2009??? Was relatively close.
A constitutional amendment dedicating a portion of corporate business tax revenues for the next three decades to fund preservation of the state’s diminishing open spaces, as well as flood prone areas and historic structures will now go on the November ballot for voter approval.
The Senate passed the measure by a vote of 36-1 on June 26.
"The overwhelming support in the Senate and Assembly shows this was a solution well worth fighting for," said Sen. Bateman. "I thank all of those who contributed to the discussion and helped push this measure forward."
Two of the nine "nays" on Monday came from Sen. Bateman’s 16th District colleagues in the Assembly, Jack Ciattarelli of Readington Township and Donna Simon of Readington Township. All three are Republicans.
Mr. Ciattarelli said Monday that he was "more concerned than ever" over what happens now to the projects — things like cleaning up leaking underground storage tanks and polluted site cleanups — that might lose funding when part of corporate business tax is diverted.
He said the state faces a lot of more urgent problems — funding the public pension system, programs for the developmentally disabled, the homestead property tax rebate and Transpiration Trust Fund, to name a few. While open space preservation was important, he said, 18 of 21 counties and many large rural municipalities have open space taxes to continue those programs on some level.
He said he believed the preservation funding would be approved, but many people won’t realize the far-reaching fiscal implications.
"It’s pretty indicative that we as politicians tend to kick the fiscal can down the road," he said.
Sen. Bateman pointed out this is not a new tax, but a source of money for important programs for New Jersey — like buyouts of flood-prone properties, he said.
"With a sustainable funding source for Blue Acres programs, the state will be better equipped to protect homeowners and businesses in areas prone to flooding, like Manville," he said.
The conservative Americans for Prosperity organization issued a release in which its state director, Daryn Iwicki, said, "Dedicating $150 million a year for open space is bad enough given the enormity of our state’s fiscal problems, but by gobbling up even more land, the state will be driving property taxes even higher for struggling New Jersey families."
State Sen. Bob Smith countered, "Once a farm has been turned into a development of homes, it will never again be a field to grow blueberries, corn or tomatoes. Once we replace a forest with a mall or retail complex, deer and wildlife will never again have those trees as their natural habitat."