Morris County Voters Decide Whether Trust Fund Will Support Land Preservation

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — Morris County voters overwhelmingly supported the county’s Open Space Preservation Trust Fund proposal, according to referendum voting results.

This year, Morris County voters were faced with the following question on their ballots:

“Shall the County of Morris amend the Morris County Open Space, Farmland, Floodplain Protection, and Historic Preservation Trust Fund to include the purpose of stewardship of permanently preserved land acquired for recreation and conservation purposes that are designed to restore or enhance its utilization for those purposes and allow the use of previously collected funds for those purposes?”

Unofficial results from the county clerk’s office show 143,360 ‘yes’ votes and 25,330 ‘no’ votes.

In other words, a majority of Morris County voters wanted the funds to support habitat restoration, invasive species reduction, reforestation, and green infrastructure improvements on publicly preserved lands.

Additionally, officials said in October that there would be no tax increase if the proposal is approved.

The funds will not go towards regular maintenance, legal fees, land acquisition, recreational infrastructure such as playgrounds or sports fields, or any work on unpreserved land, according to officials.

The referendum came from a recommendation from the Preservation Trust Fund Review Committee, which approved the referendum in April. The referendum was adopted by the Morristown Council in June, with the final ballot language being submitted to the Morris County Clerk in September.

“This is a natural next step in our preservation efforts. For more than 30 years, our residents have overwhelmingly supported preservation in Morris County,” said Morris County Commissioner Deputy Director Stephen Shaw. “Adding this program builds upon a long list of successful, voter-approved initiatives, including open space, historic preservation, farmland preservation and trail development. The committee’s recommendation reflects months of evaluation regarding the merits of such a program. Stewardship allows us to care for the lands we’ve protected, ensuring they remain healthy and accessible for future generations.”