Nj Voters Mull $200m For Open Space

[rpyfz450]

Voters mull $200M for open space
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 06/14/07

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

TRENTON — Voters will be asked in November to approve borrowing $200 million to preserve open space through 2010.

Under the plan agreed to by Gov. Corzine and legislative leaders, voters would be asked to approve replenishing the Garden State Preservation Trust, with the debt incurred by the borrowing possibly being funded by Corzine's plans to sell and lease state assets.

Environmental groups have long pushed for a referendum asking voters to approve long-term funding, but Corzine was hesitant to support that proposal as he devised plans to make money from state assets such as the New Jersey Turnpike.

The agreement was first reported Wednesday by The Star-Ledger of Newark.

"The administration has been working closely with the Legislature on this," Corzine spokesman Brendan Gilfillan said. "We're glad to have arrived at a solution that provides short-term funding to continue purchasing open space while we look for a recurring funding source that will allow us to purchase open space without adding to our structural deficit."

The preservation program dates back to the early 1960s and funds New Jersey's open space and historic preservation.

The trust has $165 million for the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2008, but no money beyond that to save land from development and historic sites from decay in the nation's most densely populated state.

If approved, the plan would provide $120 million for open space, $50 million for farmland preservation, $10 million for historic preservation and $20 million to buy properties in flood-prone areas.

http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?A...0388/1007/rss03

[MarGinJoey]

Funny I was just going to post the same story....

(07/31/07) TRENTON - A new law signed by Gov. Jon Corzine Tuesday is leaving the fate of open space funding in the hands of New Jersey voters.

The fund, designed to help preserve open space in the Garden State, is almost empty. The new law will put a question on November’s ballot to fund open space preservation. It will ask voters if they want the state to borrow $200 million for the fund until lawmakers come up with a long-term solution.

The money would go toward buying open space, preserving historical sites and buying homes to get them out of flood-prone areas.

The biggest issue voters will have to face is whether their already debt-ridden state should borrow more money.

Corzine said he is making it a priority to work on a long-term solution before the $200 million would run out in 2009. If lawmakers come up with a solution soon, he said the state may be able to avoid borrowing altogether.

MGJ

[jeepinjp]

Mark,
NJ... Avoid borrowing What a joke.... NJ is already beyond the 1,000,000 acres that was the target for this when started by Christie Whitman... And $ 73,000,000 is for farmland preservation which already floats debt on their own to preserve farms. I have mixed emotions here....NJ is the most densely populated state because we keep protecting all the land...by the way how much is for OHV trails ???????