PASCACK VALLEY—Park Ridge and Woodcliff Lake are asking residents via public questions on the Nov. 2 ballot to renew local Open Space funds.
And New Jersey is asking voters to consider two public questions on expanding gambling to New Jersey college sports teams; and using gambling revenues to fund certain organizations.
Woodcliff Lake’s Open Space fund expired in 2020, and the borough is asking voters to renew it for another seven years. Park Ridge is asking voters to renew its Open Space fund for another five years.
Both funds charge approximately 1 cent or less per $100 of a home’s assessed value on an annual basis to fund the open space account. The towns use the funds as matching funds to obtain state and county Open Space grants, as well as fund needed recreational, historical, or conservation land purchases.
Woodcliff Lake’s Open Space fund was initially approved by voters in 2005 for a five-year period, and subsequently renewed by voters in 2010 and 2015, said Borough Administrator Tom Padilla. It expired in 2020.
The ballot question asks voters to pay a tax levy of 1 cent per $100 of assessed property value annually. On an average $765,000 home, the annual open space tax amounts to about $76, said Padilla. He said the funds often serve as match funds for state and county grants requiring a 50/50 match.
The ballot question says “These funds shall be designed for the purchase of open space so as to preserve such land as open space, and to keep said land in its natural state. If no open space is available for purchase, then the monies in said fund shall be used for such other passive recreation, conservation, farmland preservation or historic preservation purposes as may be permitted by law, to be determined following a public hearing.”
Padilla said about $200,000 is generated yearly from the tax, which goes for projects such as preservation work on the Lydecker house and efforts to remediate and improve the former Galaxy Gardens site into a passive park.
One recent example where local Open Space funds were needed was for the borough’s application for a $136,349 county Open Space grant for Galaxy Gardens’ park amenities such as a walking path, benches, gazebo and lighting.
Other local needs for Open Space funds include possible safety improvements at the Woodcliff Avenue–Werimus Road intersection and the long-discussed Woodcliff Lake Reservoir Nature Trail.
Park Ridge Open Space Fund
In 2016, Park Ridge voters overwhelmingly approved creation of a municipal Open Space fund following two prior defeats at the polls.
Borough Administrator Julie Falkenstern told Pascack Press that the local funds are raised by a minuscule tax, .007 of a cent on every $100 of assessed real property value. If approved again, the fund will operate through 2026.
She said an average home pays $30 to $35 per year to the Open Space fund, monies that can be used both for local recreation, historic and open space acquisition by the borough.
Moreover, the borough can use local Open Space funds as matching funds when applying for county and state Open Space grants. These local funds enable the borough to do more costly, large-scale Open Space projects that require local matching dollars, she said.
“Funds can be used only for the development, maintenance, and acquisition of lands for recreation and land and water conservation purposes, and historic preservation. An oversight committee of local citizens will continue to advise the Borough on how funds should be spent. Every year there would be a public audit of all expenditures.
The funds would enable Park Ridge to leverage matching grants from the county and state,” notes the Open Space public question.
Falkenstern said about $120,000 is raised in Open Space funds yearly. Currently, she said the borough has $190,177.01 in its Open Space fund.
Falkenstern said the borough has used local Open Space funds for artificial turfing, new basketball courts and new playgrounds. She said every five years the local funding program “sunsets” and must be renewed, bringing the program up for a public vote.
Statewide Public Questions Nov. 2
Two statewide public questions, both related to gambling, are up for vote Nov. 2.
One question asks voters to approve amending the state Constitution to extend sports gambling options to include New Jersey-based college sports, which is currently prohibited.
“Currently, the State Constitution prohibits wagering on college sport or athletic events taking place in New Jersey It also prohibits wagering on an event in which a New Jersey college team participates. This amendment would allow the Legislature to pass laws permitting wagering on any college sport or athletic event. It would permit wagering even if a New Jersey college team participates in the competition. Such wagering would be permitted only through casinos and current or former horse racetracks,” states the first ballot question.
The second statewide question asks voters to “approve amending the Constitution to permit all groups that are allowed to conduct bingo or raffles to use the net proceeds from those games to support their groups?”
The question notes that currently only veterans and senior citizen groups “may also use the proceeds from those games to support their groups. This amendment would permit all of the groups authorized to conduct games of chance to use the net proceeds from conducting bingo or raffles to support their groups,” states the question.
It notes, “The Constitution permits certain groups to conduct games of chance such as bingo or raffles. Those groups are veterans, charitable, educational, religious, fraternal, civic, and senior citizen groups; volunteer fire companies; and first-aid or rescue squads. The net proceeds from those games of chance may only be used for educational, charitable, patriotic, religious or public-spirited uses.”
If approved, all groups authorized to conduct games of chance can use proceeds to support their group’s mission and operation.
