Vote no on Open Space question

On Aug. 13, 2018, Vernon’s Council voted 3 to 2 to send a question to the ballot on November 6th to change the use of our Open Space Fund for recreation. Here are 10 reasons why you should vote NO to change the use of our taxpayer’s funds. 1. Ordinance #18-26, which created the question for the ballot, was done illegally according to NJSA 40:41A-101-Ordinances, which requires two separate votes of the same verbiage. The language of the question on the ballot doesn’t match the Ordinance they voted on. At the July 23, 2018, council meeting, the question was amended to include a “30 percent cap, one-time only, on the amount of the fund at the time of the vote” to be used for recreation. On the second vote, on Aug. 13, 2018, the ballot question just states “30 percent of the fund.”
Shortway initially wanted 30 percent of the fund of each calendar year for recreation. 2. The ballot question is ambiguous. 3. While on the Greenway Committee, I obtained verbal commitments from land owners for free easements to traverse Vernon from Warwick to Hardyston. Then Shortway circumvented me offering the same land owners purchase of their entire tracts of land. 4. Shortway has 3 guaranteed YES votes on all his requests, Murphy, Auberger, and Van Tassel. 5. Shortway’s mayoral campaign included stating he will not use any taxpayer’s money for trails. 6. Shortway liquidated our assets for pennies on the dollar in his recent land auctions. 7. Shortway, with help from Murphy, will be raising our taxes for the 4th time in 4 yrs. 8. Councilman Kadish said this was confusing. 9. Councilman Auberger said “I got suckered into it.” 10. Nothing will be left for Open Space or Farmland Preservation!
Sally Rinker
Vernon