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Aquaman
Supporter
Username: Aquaman
Post Number: 972
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, July 6, 2006 - 1:46 pm: | 
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Article in today's News-Record about South Orange considering doubling the Open Space Trust Fund tax from 1% of your assessment to 2%. Someone has been urging Calabrese & Co. to pass this, seeing as how regular taxes aren't enough to maintain the Library, parks, and other projects that tend to lapse into disrepair. Calabrese was quoted as saying that he thinks it's a good idea and the people of SO would approve.
Currently, the Township collects approximately $100,000 per year due to the Township's current assessment. A doubling of this seems OK, and when you break it down to a monthly number, what's another $10 a month?
The timing of this push to double the OSTF seems curious to me. Because the tax is based on assessment, and since the revaluation is about to begin in South Orange, and since there's an uproar about the SOPAC and Tau, etc., this would be a clever way to solve a lot of problems.
First: Double the OSTF tax.
Next: Revalue the town. Estimated to be 3 to 4 times the old assessment.
Result: 6 to 8 times the money rolling in. Instead of $100,000 per year, Calabrese & Co. could count on $700,000 per year!
Money that could be spent on Library (open space??) sculptures, recreation, etc will come from this fund, which will allow Calabrese & Co. to run on a platform of not raising your taxes.
I got yer Tau fundraiser right here.
Any thoughts? |
MHD
Citizen
Username: Mayhewdrive
Post Number: 4371
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, July 6, 2006 - 1:58 pm: |
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Aquaman,
I had started a discussion on the same topic here:
http://www.southorangevillage.com/cgi-bin/show.cgi?tpc=3133&post=637362#POST6373 62 |
SOrising
Citizen
Username: Sorising
Post Number: 459
Registered: 2-2006
| | Posted on Saturday, July 8, 2006 - 9:51 am: |
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It is clearly what they are up to, Aquaman. Since their development schemes and speculations have failed, the only way to prop up appearances is to get more money through taxes (property and a SID) and more debt (a SID has extra and considerable bonding power). This is one of many efforts to come. If it fails, they will try to borrow their way into respectability with increasing frequency and amounts and may regardless. The real question is whether you want them to have even more money to muck up the town with. I don't.
I hope all who read this work actively next spring to elect more responsible trustees who do not continue to degrade and injure the town with bad polilcies.
There is more about the OSTF under the "Another tax increase coming?" thread. |
Howard Levison
Citizen
Username: Levisonh
Post Number: 635
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, July 9, 2006 - 5:59 am: |
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I posed the following question to the administration:
Would you provide the status of the Open Space Committee and the current structure and membership?
The following was the response:
To my knowledge this committee has not met in years.
From previous posts on this subject:
There are a number of points to be made about the Open Space Trust Fund. In response to a CBAC recommendation the BOT made a policy statement on to what these funds could be allocated. I think we should go further as Maplewood has recently (“Maplewood Open Space Trust Fund Advisory Committee” see <www.howard-levison.com/maplewood_open_space_trust_fund_advisory_committee.pdf>) and create an ordinance of our own.
As suggested by Janine, creating an inventory of Historical sites that are in need of funds would be helpful. We have a number of municipal owned properties that should be included on that list - Town Hall and Connett Library just to name a few. I assume that this may be Janine Bauer’s intent but I would not want it to only for Historical purposes. We need to create additional open space! This was original purpose for creating this "tax".
There is a recent report, The Open Space and Recreation Master Plan that should be used as a basis for moving forward with how/where funds should be allocated. This report should also be incorporated as part of the Master Plan.
The CBAC has made a number of requests to the Administration publish a reconciliation of these funds. The following is the last report and in need of an update:
If passed prior to revaluation it will double after revaluation (we currently assess close to 50% of actual) or represent an equivalent of $.04/$100 of current assessment.
We should not change current policy that prevents use for operating expenses.
We must have a clear statement of what these funds can be used for.
We must have a periodic statement of how/where the funds have been allocated.
We must have an inventory of potential projects and estimated costs.
We should reinstate the Open Space Committee. |
red_alert
Citizen
Username: Red_alert
Post Number: 309
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, July 9, 2006 - 10:35 am: |
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There also needs to be accountability of how the funds are spent. We do not need another Tau or other wasteful projects that do not benefit the residents of the town. |
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Open Space Trust Fund Reconciliation