Politics & Government

Concerns Over Open Space Funds Again Raised to Committee

Open Space Committee chair addresses elected officials; township announced new recycling drop-off bins available to residents

The use of the township’s open space funds was again the subject of discussion at Monday night’s regular meeting of the Barnegat Township Committee as two residents took the mike during public session to criticize the use of trust fund dollars for recreation and other expenses.

Open Space Committee Chairman David Moore said he and the others who serve on the advisory committee are concerned that the trust is being used primarily for purposes other than open space preservation, including the upkeep of recreation buildings and the purchase of maintenance equipment. 

“It’s used for recreation and not open space,” he said. “It’s no secret.”

Find out what's happening in Barnegat-Manahawkinwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Open Space Committee member Jake Taylor, who has repeatedly raised the issue with elected officials in recent weeks, pointed out one recent expense he found fault with: the new $997 flag purchased in August for the municipal dock flagpole.

“Who says that comes out of the open space fund?” Taylor asked. 

Find out what's happening in Barnegat-Manahawkinwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Moore said the committee isn’t against recreation spending, but the fact that so little of the trust appropriations are steered toward land preservation is cause for concern. In a past ballot question, Barnegat voters struck down separate funding for recreation.

“We feel it’s important to try to revisit this issue,” Moore said, and said he wants to work with officials to promote the need for a revenue stream devoted to recreation in order to protect the open space funds. 

He acknowledged that spending for the long term is rarely popular, but “the preservation of open space, we all have to admit, is a long-term quality of life goal.” It’s a good time to purchase land, said Moore, and the committee wants to be sure that there’s sufficient money to do so should the opportunity arise.

“We have to be sure we’re vigilant with those remaining funds,” he said.

The township has defended its use of the trust fund for recreation and other expenses, pointing out that the ordinance approved by Barnegat voters establishing the trust defines the fund as being “for the acquisition, development and maintenance of conservation land, recreational properties, farmland and historic properties.”

 Officials have also said that recreation is a pressing need in the township, and few funding sources are available to ensure residents have access to playgrounds, ball fields and more. 

On Monday, Mayor Jeff Melchiondo reiterated that point, saying the Township Committee fully understands open space advocates’ desire for a source of recreation funding.

“I don’t think you’d have any objection on that from anyone up here,” he said.

 

Other highlights from the meeting included: 

  • The Township Committee announced that residents can now bring recyclables to the public works building for drop-off in between their scheduled every-other-week recycling pickups. Two large bins, one for single-stream recylables and another for leaves, have been installed outside the building, which is behind the township municipal building and is accessible from West Bay Avenue and Barnegat Boulevard.
  • Mayor Jeff Melchiondo announced that the developers of the High Pointe neighborhood have agreed to finish paving the development’s roads by Nov. 16. Residents of the area have long complained that the more than year-old paving project remained incomplete.
  • Barnegat resident Angelo Mureo presented an open letter of complaint sent this week to Gov. Chris Christie blaming the township’s current tax inequity on a politically motivated partial reassessment of residential properties. He called not only for an accurate reassessment, but also for “prosecution against those elected and appointed municipal and county officials responsible for corrupting our community against each other on behalf of their own personal political agenda.”
  • Meanwhile, Committeeman Martin Lisella said he and Township Administrator David Breeden had plans to meet with county tax officials next week to address the township’s reassessment issues. Lisella and the rest of the committee have said a flawed reassessment process has meant that Barnegat’s assessed values have failed to keep up with the market, resulting in an unequal distribution of the tax burden and thousands of costly tax appeals.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here