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Residents urge caution as Lacey committee advances YMCA talks ahead of potential referendum
Summary
Residents at the Lacey Township Committee meeting pressed officials for detailed financing, operational and land-use terms for a proposed YMCA on township-owned land, warning that a municipally financed building could raise property taxes; committee members said the plan is under negotiation and would be decided by voter referendum.
Kevin Flynn, a Forked River resident, told the Township Committee that the proposed YMCA — which he said has been discussed as a roughly $40 million to $71 million project — would "increase our taxes" if the township borrows to fund construction and presented a scenario in which municipal debt service could be about $3.2 million annually. "If you vote yes, your taxes ARE GOING UP," Flynn said during the public-comment period.
The meeting drew repeated questions about who would own and operate the facility, how it would be financed and whether it could include housing or transitional shelter. Mayor Stephen Kennis said the township is still negotiating terms and emphasized that the committee would not be telling residents how to vote. "We're custodians of your money," Kennis said, adding that any final proposal would go to referendum and that the committee is working to secure protections such as exit fees if the YMCA leaves early.
Several residents asked whether the YMCA would be a tenant or an operator and whether the township would be responsible for operating costs. Officials responded that the current concept being discussed contemplates the township owning the building and leasing it to the YMCA, with YMCA staff responsible for day-to-day operations. "We're not going to have any employees — we're building a building and leasing it to them," a township representative said in response to a question about staffing and payroll.
Others pressed the committee on potential program content and access. Jim Latellier and other speakers raised concerns about whether the facility might be used to house homeless or transitional populations, citing examples from other municipalities; committee members repeatedly said housing was not part of the plan as discussed so far. "That was never on the table and has never been discussed," a committee member said in rebuttal to those claims.
Committee members said they support public engagement and promised more detail before any ballot question is finalized. Committeewoman Peggy Giuliano said the body is collecting numbers and negotiating terms: "We don't even have a memorandum of understanding yet," she said, and urged residents to "listen, learn, and pull the lever" on referendum day.
What happens next: officials said they hope to firm up financing and program details by late summer so voters will have information before a fall referendum. The committee repeatedly invited public input and said relevant documents will be posted on the township website as they become available.
