Howell Open Space Tax Increase Will Open Opportunities: Officials

HOWELL, NJ — A 1-cent increase per $100 of assessed value will make a big difference in how Howell can acquire open space parcels, officials said.

With final mail-in and provisional votes tallied by Monmouth County, a referendum to increase the open space tax from 2 cents per 100 of assessed value to 3 cents was approved by voters by a vote of 5,394 to 4,152, according to MonmouthCountyVotes.com figures.

"With the referendum having passed, we are in better position to aggressively pursue opportunities as they present themselves," said Deputy Township Manager Matthew R. Howard, director of Community Development and township land use officer.

Howard said the amount to be raised by the increased tax will be dependent on the assessed values of properties within the township, so it varies every year.

"But we expect several hundreds of thousands of dollars will be dedicated to open space/preservation each year," he said.

One acquisition project under way - and still subject to due diligence by the township - is the property of Cornerstone Calvary Church at 3071 Lakewood-Allenwood Road, which is is relocating to a new building on Route 9.

The Township Council this summer approved bonding $3,420,000 to acquire more open space, in particular that 13-acre site for potential use for active recreation.

Township Manager Joe Clark said at the time that the township is working with both the state Department of Environmental Protection's Green Acres Division and the County of Monmouth for grants relating to the purchase.

"The parcel is intended to remain as open space, but that term also includes active outdoor uses. We have been developing a number of plans for the site, but before we commit to any, we want to ensure that the taxpaying residents get the most bang for the buck," Clark said.

Howard said Thursday that, regarding Cornerstone, "we are working towards closing and still completing our final due diligence. We expect to close within the near future."

The open space tax allows for:

• Acquisition of lands for recreation and conservation purposes
• Development of lands acquired for recreation and conservation purposes
• Maintenance of lands acquired for recreation and conservation purposes
• Acquisition of farmland for farmland preservation purposes
• Historic preservation of historic properties, structures, facilities, sites, areas, or objects and the acquisition of such properties
• Blue Acres projects
• Payment of debt service on indebtedness issued or incurred by a municipality for any of the above.

The voters' approval permits the township to amend the annual levy for the Municipal Open Space, Recreation, Floodplain Protection, and Farmland and Historic Preservation Trust Fund with an additional one cent per $100 of assessed real property value. This would increase the total annual levy from two cents to three cents per $100 of assessed real property value.

As an example, an owner of real property assessed at $100,000 will now annually pay $30 per year into the Township’s Open Space, Recreation and Historic Preservation Trust Fund instead of the current $20.

You can read more about the Cornerstone property here.