For Immediate Release
July 22, 2020
MIDDLETOWN, NJ — The Middletown Township Committee unanimously supported a resolution at the July 20, 2020 Regular Meeting to include a referendum on the November 2020 General Election Ballot to amend the dedicated Open Space Trust annual collection rate from $.02 to $.03 per $100 in equalized valuation.
The Middletown Open Space Trust was established by the voters of Middletown in 1998 with a dedicated tax levy of $.01 per $100 in equalized valuation to ensure that the Township would be able to fund acquisitions and improvements to open space and parkland properties. In 2002, voters supported an amendment to an annual collection rate of $.02 per $100 in equalized valuation.
“As we look toward Middletown’s future, we must act to ensure that we preserve as much of our undeveloped land as possible, so now we ask the community for their support and vote to help us save it,” said Mayor Perry. “All of us have the opportunity to preserve the Middletown we hope to pass along to the next generation.”
If Middletown voters approve the rate of the annual levy for the Middletown Open Space Trust Fund, the Township Committee will hold a public hearing to determine the allocation of the increased proceeds to the fund and officially change the name of the fund to an all-encompassing “Municipal Open Space, Recreation, Floodplain Protection, and Farmland and Historic Preservation Trust Fund”.
“We appreciate the unanimous support of the Middletown Open Space Committee, as well as the support of members of the Middletown Environmental Commission for backing the Township Committee on this critically important mission to prevent overdevelopment and promote our beautiful land and its history,” said Mayor Perry. “I will be voting ‘yes’ on November 3rd to preserve open space here in Middletown and I hope you will join me in voting for Middletown’s future.”
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