Warren County commissioners on June 25 approved a $2,450,000 fee-simple purchase of the 107.23-acre Clifford Farm in Lopatcong Township and unanimously adopted a policy opposing use of eminent domain to condemn active or preserved farmland for residential development not primarily affordable housing. The votes came during the board’s regular/budget session at the Wayne Dumont Jr. Administration Building in Belvidere. The purchase resolution passed with Commissioner Lori Ciesla and Director Jason Sarnoski voting yes and Commissioner James Kern III abstaining; the opposition-to-condemnation resolution passed unanimously. The county resolution authorizes the Director of the Board or the County Administrator to execute purchase agreements and states the acquisition will be funded through the Warren County Open Space, Farmland, Recreation and Historic Preservation Trust Fund. The purchase resolution says the farm contains approximately 91% prime soils (about 97.5 acres) and will be preserved as farmland; it also requires a future development easement be secured. County staff announced companion contracts and preliminary expenses tied to the preservation work: two appraisal contracts ($2,235 and $2,475) and a survey contract for $6,800 were awarded, and the county authorized engineering services for other preservation-related work. Commissioner Kern, who introduced the opposition resolution, said he brought the matter forward citing concerns about municipalities invoking eminent domain to meet Mount Laurel/COAH obligations and singled out Cranberry Township as an example of where he feared farmland could be taken. “It is crucial that we take this stance and I am proud to support this resolution,” Kern said. Ciesla, who voted for both the purchase and the opposition policy, said the county must protect orchards, vineyards, nurseries, cropland and pastureland. She asked, “Do we want to be known as the Garden State or the Concrete State?” Director Sarnoski said the pair of actions — preserving land on the agenda and passing the opposition resolution — demonstrated Warren County’s commitment to farmland, farmers and open space and to proactive planning. The board’s opposition resolution cites the New Jersey Constitution, the Right to Farm Act, and the Mount Laurel line of cases; it authorizes County Counsel to investigate or join legal actions, file friend-of-the-court briefs, and to provide technical assistance to municipalities seeking alternatives to farmland condemnation such as infill development or brownfields reuse. The resolution directs that certified copies be transmitted to the Governor, legislative leadership, state agencies including the State Agriculture Development Committee, and every municipality in Warren County. The county’s Chief Financial Officer certified that funds are available in account 03895-5067-8952502-5067 to support the acquisition, contingent on final surveyed acreage. The board recorded routine companion actions that support the preservation work, including awarding appraisals for the nearby Terhune Farm and surveying and engineering contracts tied to the Clifford Farm closing. No legal action was announced at the meeting; the resolution authorizes the county to pursue legal or administrative measures in the future if municipalities seek to use eminent domain against productive farmland.