Referendum would cut tax rate, but a greater proportion of funding would be spent on maintenance, development.
By: Courtney Gross
WEST WINDSOR For township voters this fall, it is either all or nothing.
The Township Council voted 4-1 Monday evening to approve a referendum on November’s ballot that would decrease the open-space tax to 3 cents from 5 cents per $100 of assessed value, and increase funding for maintenance and development to a ceiling of 25 percent from the current 10 percent.
Both the proposed tax rate decrease and the increased percentage of funding for maintenance and development the latter of which has met with some opposition from interest groups throughout the township have been bulked into a single question, leaving no room for voters to decide on each policy independently.
And if voters reject the approved referendum, the township’s open-space tax rate will jump back to where it was two years ago 7 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. With the recent revaluation of township properties, residents’ open-space tax bills would increase substantially, township officials said.
If the referendum passes, the owner of a home assessed at the township average of $575,200 would pay $172.56 at the 3-cent rate $115 less than this year, Township Chief Financial Officer Joanne R. Louth said. The average household currently pays an annual $287.60 in open-space tax.
Last year, township voters approved the reduction in the open-space tax from 5 cents to 3 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. But that reduction automatically expires after one year. Thus, defeat of this year’s referendum would return the rate to 7 cents and the owner of an average home would pay $402.64 in open-space tax.
Because West Windsor homes more than doubled in value during the revaluation, township officials are able to decrease the tax rate, while continuing to keep a sufficient amount of funding for open space, Ms. Louth said.
Passage of the referendum would also mean up to 25 percent of the open-space fund or about $477,630 could be allocated for maintenance and development. If the referendum fails, only 10 percent could be allotted for that purpose.
In the past, open-space referendums have been approved by overwhelming margins in West Windsor.
Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh proposed the referendum last month and said the increase in development funding could strengthen the quality of life for children and other residents of the township. By transitioning some of West Windsor’s open space into recreational areas, such as Duck Pond Park on Meadow Road, residents could better enjoy the land they have acquired, he said.
The mayor compared the township’s undeveloped open space to an unfurnished house.
"It is time for us to turn a house into a home," Mayor Hsueh said. "When we talk about identity and sense of community, we are talking about places our children can go."
The mayor also said acquisition of open space could be obtained through different channels, not just the township’s fund. He added the maintenance apportionment is a "flexible" number and not all of it could be used towards development.
The dissenting vote Monday was cast by Councilman Charles Morgan, who said the additional funding acquired by the township this year through the open-space tax should be returned to taxpayers. He proposed setting a 2-cent rate for two years, followed by a 3-cent rate thereafter.
Several interest groups in the township were represented at Monday’s Township Council meeting, each having an opportunity to comment on the proposal for three minutes. The open-space stances spanned many environmental interests, from preservation to recreation.
And not everyone is enthusiastic about Monday’s outcome.
The Friends of West Windsor Open Space, or FOWWOS, a group that has often led the fight for acquiring open space in West Windsor, has been at odds with the Township Council and the administration on the open-space referendum. Specifically, the group opposes the allocation of 25 percent for maintenance and development.
FOWWOS President Helen Rancan, who was unable to attend Monday’s meeting, said later this would be the first time the group has opposed some part of an open-space referendum in the township.
FOWWOS would like West Windsor to concentrate on acquisition, not development, the group’s members said.
But, Ms. Rancan said, the group has been assured by the administration it will be an active participant in each open-space parcel’s improvement plans.
"FOWWOS supports the current 10 percent spending cap, not the increase as approved by the council Monday night," Ms. Rancan said. "Nevertheless, FOWWOS will take the mayor at his word when he states that the spending cap is an ‘up to’ amount that will not be consistently maxed out."
Ms. Rancan would not say whether FOWWOS will campaign against the fall referendum. The board of trustees will be meeting to discuss their upcoming strategy, she added.
Several sports organizations, including the West Windsor Sports Alliance, a group representing recreational athletics in the township, expressed their support Monday for the proposed increase in funding for maintenance and development. Justin Stein, who spoke on the alliance’s behalf, said the development of open space could alleviate the facilities problem many athletic organizations face.
For the first time, Mr. Stein said, children’s recreational sports leagues in West Windsor have had to limit their membership, because of the condition and availability of sports fields.
"It is well documented the recreation of West Windsor is overused," Mr. Stein said. "As West Windsor grows and changes, the parks and recreation will need to grow as well."
Most of the debate surrounding the fall referendum is focused on the increase in funding for maintenance and development, not on the decrease in the tax rate. Because the two elements are combined into one question, some voters will have to make a tough decision.
Almost 13 years ago, the original open-space tax was set at 1 cent per $100 of assessed value. Over the following decade, the tax continued to rise as more residents of the township voiced a desire to purchase and preserve the township’s sprawling fields and wildlife areas.
But since the revaluation this year, a decrease in the tax rate must occur to keep funding at the same level and not overburden taxpayers, township officials said.
Also, an additional $1.3 million is being collected this year in open-space funding that will be used to pay down the township’s outstanding debt on the land it has already acquired, Ms. Louth said.
In 1998, 74 percent of voters approved the increase in the open-space tax to 7 cents. In 2005, an identical percentage voted to lower the tax rate to 5 cents.