Trying to put a price on preserving Upper Freehold Public input sought on how much to raise U.F.'s open space tax BY JANE MEGGITT Staff Writer UPPER FREEHOLD - The township will consider placing an additional open space tax on the ballot in November. The Township Committee discussed the issue at its July 12 meeting. Township Attorney Granville Magee said the committee should render a decision about putting a referendum on the ballot by its Aug. 2 meeting. Township Administrator Barbara Bascom said the county has an Aug. 24 deadline for receiving information for a referendum in the November general election. The township's current open space tax is 4 cents for every $100 of assessed value. Resident Phil Sinicropi said he would like to be one of the first to volunteer to pay more to acquire more land in the township. "We need to put together a war chest," Sinicropi said. "The little open space tax I'm paying is the best investment I can make as a resident." Sinicropi said he would be willing to pay as much as $1,500 a year more in taxes dedicated to open space. "Put together a war chest and show the majority of property owners we're serious," he urged the committee. He asked the Township Committee to put an open space tax on the November ballot for whatever amount seems appropriate. "You know what you need," he said. "It's obvious we can't rely on the state anymore. It's time for the residents to reach into their pockets." He continued, "Every dollar I spend to save land today pays me back tenfold in the years to come." Sinicropi told the governing body that a community that values the acquisition of open space needs to contribute to preservation. "With the Garden State Preservation Trust (GSPT) drying up, we've got a rocky road ahead of us for preserving additional open space in town, and I know we want to," he said. Sinicropi also said that the township should bond for millions for open space purposes and adopt a Right of First Refusal ordinance that would permit the township to make offers to landowners considering selling to developers. Committeeman Bob Faber, whose farm is in preservation, said that while putting the issue on the ballot is a good idea, raising the open space tax rate penalizes those who have already preserved their land. "We have already given," he said. Deputy Mayor Bill Miscoski, whose family sold its Cream Ridge Golf Club to the state for open space, agreed with Sinicropi that it is time to get a "war chest" going, but he also agreed with Faber. "Those who went into preservation sacrificed a lot of money," he said. "I'm not against a 5- or 10-cent tax, [but] to tax the people who have already sacrificed the way they sacrificed - I just can't handle that." Miscoski alleged that homeowners' equity has gone up tremendously in recent years but that those who preserved their land have not seen the same returns. "The guy who has preserved his land, his equity is going nowhere," Miscoski alleged. Miscoski said he thinks it is time for other people in the town to make a sacrifice. "All we hear is, 'Go into preservation,' " Miscoski said. "Get off your soapbox, and put your money where your mouth is. "If every homeowner put up $2,000 to $3,000, we'd be able to save a lot," he added. "Those who moan the most aren't willing to give up a nickel." Miscoski alleged that those who have put property into preservation lost millions of dollars by doing so. He said people who live in houses in town "haven't done a damn thing" to preserve land and need to "put up or shut up." Committeeman Stephen Alexander said that he has looked into options for landowners who have preserved their properties if the open space tax rises. "Farmers who went into preservation, especially those who went early like Bob Faber, have given us a tremendous break," Alexander said. He asked, "Will it go over with the rest of the town?" and added that $500, $1,000 or more in open space taxes per year is a lot of money for homeowners. Township Attorney Granville Michael Magee said there are ways to make exceptions for landowners who have already preserved their properties so that they would not have to pay a new tax rate but would not be exempt from the current 4-cent rate. Mayor Stephen Fleischacker said he believes the Township Committee could put together a referendum for November but that the committee needs to get an idea from the community of an acceptable tax increase. While the governing body makes the offer, it will ultimately be the residents who make the decision, he said. "We have held the line on taxes for two years, but [we] do realize we need to increase taxes for open space," he said. Fleischacker said the state will most likely have a $200 million referendum for preservation on the November ballot. He said people are concerned with that amount because it would only suffice for one year and is tied to the governor's plan for the monetization of state assets. He said the large figure has been proposed because the state anticipates that newly proposed stormwater regulations will have landowners "running in droves to preserve." Fleischacker said that the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has proposed new water-quality regulations, which could result in communities throughout the state having to downzone, which means increasing lot sizes. While the new stormwater regulations will likely be challenged in court, Fleischacker said he is of the opinion that the new rules will prevail.