READINGTON TWP. - The Solberg family has collected nearly double the signatures of township voters necessary to call for a vote on a $22 million bond ordinance, approved by the Township Committee, to potentially acquire the development rights to Solberg Airport.
The Township Committee will further discuss the matter and will set up a future date for a referendum, said a release in response to that announcement which was signed by township Mayor Gerard Shamey.
Thor Solberg Jr., co-owner of the airport, said in a release issued by Solberg Airport last Thursday that the Solbergs “weren’t surprised by the level of the support.”
He said polls conducted by the family had indicated most residents believed the bond ordinance was “a bad idea” that would lead to higher taxes. The petition signed by more than 1,800 registered township voters, however, merely asked residents whether they would prefer to bring the issue to a vote on a public ballot. The $22 million bond ordinance authorized spending to acquire development rights or ownership of open space surrounding the 726-acre airport and restrict future expansion at the airport facility itself. The ordinance was unanimously approved by the Township Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 21. A release issued by Shamey last Friday responded that the township would schedule the vote in accordance with law, and that the Township Committee expected to discuss the issue further on Monday. “The members of the Township Committee and I will be pleased to have the opportunity to put this question, which is of such great interest to so many citizens of our township, to a public vote,” Shamey said. Before such a vote can be scheduled, the municipal clerk would need to certify the petitions signed by residents, township officials said. State law says a protest petition with enough signatures can freeze a municipal bond ordinance to spend money if it is filed within 20 days of the bond ordinance’s approval. The petition must be signed by at least 15 percent of registered voters who voted in the last general election. That number was 969 signatures, which the Solbergs began collecting at the Feb. 21 bond ordinance hearing, and continued circulating at local shopping centers and throughout the township in the past few weeks. “My family and I want to express our heartfelt gratitude to all the dedicated volunteers that circulated their own petitions,” Thor Solberg said in his release. The release from Shamey again emphasized the township’s position that the curtailment of expansion at the family-run airport is essential to preserving the township’s qualify of life. Township officials said they particularly want to limit the length of the airport runway to 3,735 feet, since 4,000 feet or longer will invite corporate jets and other larger aircraft. “The committee, like many residents, feel that the future of Solberg Airport is of critical importance to the township’s own future,” Shamey’s release stated. “The committee desires to develop a strategy for the preservation and control of the airport with the maximum amount of public input,” to protect the township’s “quality of life and natural resources,” Shamey’s release concluded. At the Feb. 21 hearing, the committee said the stated intent of the bond ordinance was to authorize the money to buy about 650 acres of open space surrounding the core airport, and to acquire development rights for the airport while leaving its actual ownership with the Solbergs. The township characterized the bond ordinance as a negotiations tool. But the Solbergs maintain that the passage of the $22 million bond ordinance paves the way for the township to condemn the airport through eminent domain proceedings. “Many people signed the petition because they believe it’s wrong for the government to take your property,” Thor Solberg said in his release. “But many others think it’s wrong for the town to increase debt so much without their approval. “Whatever the reason, it’s a victory for the taxpayers,” Solberg said of the protest petition. The Solbergs wrote that the township had offered varying costs of taking over the airport, contending that state agencies would not offer reimbursement for an airport acquired through eminent domain. A letter from the Department of Transportation to the township last August affirmed that agency’s programs require a willing seller-willing buyer for participation. But a spokeswoman for the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) said a few weeks ago that while the state DEP would not contribute funding towards the condemnation process, land acquired through eminent domain could be considered for Green Acres park funding. “Readington has had successful meetings with state Green Acres representatives and expects that most of the final cost to taxpayers would be offset by state open space preservation funding,” Shamey’s release stated. With funding, the estimated cost for the average property owner would be an additional $60 a year in funding, and about $165 more a year in taxes in the event of no state assistance, the release calculated. © Recorder Newspapers 2006
Date: March 23, 2006 Source: Hunterdon Review
URL: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16359862&BRD=1918&PAG=461&dept_id=506546&rfi=6
