Open Space Question on Bedminster Ballots

This election, residents are going to be asked to approve allowing Bedminster to set aside up to 20 percent of the Open Space Trust Fund for maintenance of open space properties—but this will not be an additional tax.

According to township administrator Judith Sullivan, Bedminster can currently tax residents up to 2 cents per $100 of assessed value to be put aside for the purchase and preservation of open space. For 2011 and 2012, she said, the township committee decided to charge 15 cents for open space.

Now, in the November elections, there will be a question on the ballot asking residents if they would allow the township to set aside up to 20 percent of the trust fund for maintenance of open space.

“So this isn’t an additional tax,” she said. “It’s just permission to use some of the funding for a specified purpose.”

“There is a lot of open space in Bedminster, but no funding to maintain it for tree trimming, mowing, fence repair and more,” she added.

At the Oct. 1 township committee meeting, a resolution was approved for Bedminster to contribute $500,000 to assist the county in the purchase of a property at the corner of Rattlesnake Bridge Road and River Road West. It is a total of 49.06 acres, and there will be a subdivision out of that so the property will be 46 acres when that is complete.

A total of $140,000 will be paid out of a Green Acres grant, $200,000 will come out of the Open Space Trust this year and another $160,000 will come out of the Open Space Trust next year.

The committee said this is assisting in preserving 150 acres in that area.

In total, Sullivan said, according to the 2012 Recreation and Open Space Inventory for Bedminster, the town has 65.81 acres of park land and 808.4 acres of open space.

“There are many more acres of preserved farmland and properties where there are conservation easements,” she said.

And to preserve everything, Sullivan said, the township is asking for approval from the residents to set the money aside. But if the ballot question fails, Sullivan said, they will have to get the money elsewhere.

“Currently there is no funding available to do any maintenance in open space properties,” she said. “So if the ballot question fails, we would have to add funding into the budget elsewhere, which would mean raising taxes.”

The wording of the ballot question, which was adopted by resolution Aug. 6, will be:

“Shall the Township Committee of the Township of Bedminster adopt an ordinance amending the Ordinance Section 15-2 Open Space Trust Fund tax to permit the use of the levied funds for the maintenance of lands acquired for recreation and conservation purposes owned by the Township, not to exceed twenty (20%) percent of the amount levied each year.”

A “yes” vote means residents do want the township to add a permitted use of the fund’s tax for maintenance of land.

A “no” vote means residents do not want that permitted use.