Council debates ballot wording for open-space tax increase, considers adding household cost example

Council members on July 2 reviewed proposed ballot language to increase Ridgewood’s open-space tax from one-half cent to one cent per $100 of assessed value and debated whether the explanatory statement should include an illustrative dollar-amount example for an average home.

Deputy Mayor and staff said the proposed wording follows Middletown Township's precedent and aims to be neutral on the ballot. The deputy mayor noted state statute prescribes allowable open-space purposes and cautioned the referendum language cannot attempt to bind future council spending. "We need to present this question in the most neutral way possible without swaying anyone's vote," a council member said.

Representative discussion points: Council member Paul asked whether the explanatory text could include an example showing what the increase would cost the average homeowner; others expressed concern that including a dollar example could be read as persuasive. Legal counsel (Matt) said he would check whether an illustrative cost example is permissible and return a recommendation in time to meet county clerk deadlines for ballot questions.

Timeline and deadlines: Staff emphasized tight timing: the council must vote on ballot wording the following week to meet county and county-clerk placement deadlines for the November ballot; the council's August meeting date falls after county submission deadlines, so the July action is time-sensitive.

Next steps: Counsel will determine permissibility of an example illustration (e.g., the additional dollars on an average assessed-value home) and, if allowed, draft neutral language for inclusion; staff and the deputy mayor will proceed to finalize wording for the required vote at the next meeting.