Bote no to Vernon ballot question

Sussex County is New Jersey’s northwestern gateway and home to superlative natural resources, with pristine stream corridors and geologic features found nowhere else in the state. Established in 2003, the New Jersey Open Space and Recreation Plan decreed Sussex County’s natural and aesthetic values be ensured and sustained. With adequate stewardship, these lands would be part of the Sussex County landscape forever. A small portion of the preserved open space includes preserved farmland, ensuring that agricultural land uses forever remain a significant part of the county’s countryside. Vernon voters supported the establishment of a dedicated tax for open space and farmland preservation, declaring Vernon’s Trust Fund be used for land acquisition ONLY.
This year, a ballot question, proposed Ordinance #18-26, will ask Vernon voters to allow a modification of the Trust Fund to provide the Township up to 30 percent (approximately $324K) of the existing fund for various recreational purposes, i.e., creation and maintenance of public pathways for hiking, biking and horseback riding trails and amenities such as public gardens, disc golf, bike pump track, while also giving the township council exclusive discretion over these expenditures.
Because this present council, when initially introducing this new ordinance, asked that 30 percent of the funds be utilized the first calendar day of each year, a standard such as this could possibly entirely deplete Vernon’s Open Space Trust Fund in a matter of a few years. This stipulation has been omitted from the wording of Vernon’s public question, making the proposal vague and troubling, and when considering the exorbitant amount of money requested in this ordinance, from a trust fund established solely for the preservation of open space, Vernon voters should vote no to Vernon Township’s Open Space Trust Fund Public Question, Resolution #18-197, on Nov. 6.
Bonnie Rubin
Highland Lakes