Republican Councilmen continue to bash the NJ Highlands Act, claiming that it keeps rateables out of West Milford. They even approved a 17 page document to be sent by the Planning Director to the Highlands Council on behalf of West Milford, saying that we object to being in the Highlands Preservation area because the Act prevents “major” development, i.e., town-house developments (not individual homes being upgraded or built on family-owned lots). Those Councilmen are again following the “Rateables Chase.” When the NJ State Legislature had a public hearing on the Act at Skylands Manor, Doris Osterhoudt, the West Milford Republican Leader, spoke for 20 minutes against the Act, and against West Milford being in the preservation area. She even called Republican Sen. Bob Martin “a traitor” because of his environmental concerns.
Opinion
West Milford Messenger
Look To The Past To Predict The Future
Thursday, October 26, 2006
To the editor:
West Milford Councilmen James Warden and Bob Nolan won their seats with a massive landslide vote, about 3,000 for Republicans and about 4,000 for Democrats. The deciding issues were protecting our environment and taxes. These two issues are strongly linked.
In contrast to the “Rateable Chase” that Republicans were following, the Democrats and the voters knew that it was a “Rateable Myth.” According to the West Milford Board of Education’s own study, each new home has an average of one child in public school. Also, property tax averages about $6,000 while tuition and bussing averages about $13,000/child. So, new homes are a “negative rateable” of $13,000 - $6,000 = $7,000. West Milford voters certainly got a grade of “A+” in math. For some “advanced” math, Eagle Ridge, with 280 units and Valley Ridge with 100 units would bring 380 more children to West Milford. Multiply that 380 by the $7,000 negative rateable, and we get an annual tax deficit of $2,660,000. And, of course, we would need a new school at a cost to tax payers of between $30,000,000 and $50,000,000.
Nolan and Warden have fought for West Milford residents to drive the “Two Ridges” away. Nolan went to Trenton with others to meet with DEP commissioner Bradley Campbell to tell him that we don’t have enough ground water for Eagle Ridge, and that their hydro-geology report was flawed. I asked Republican Mayor Joe DiDonato to join our Trenton visit. But, he didn’t show up. The Democratic Freeholders supported West Milford’s fight, by sending Campbell a resolution to deny Eagle Ridge’s well permit, and sending Freeholder Terry Duffy to that meeting. The group of 9 included past Republican Mayor Carl Richko, Republican chair of the Greenwood Lake Commission, Ella Filippone, and Independent past chair of the West Milford Smart Growth Committee, Barry DiGiacinto. Robin O’Hearn and Ross Kushner, heads of non-partisan environmental groups SkylandsCLEAN and the Pequannock River Coalition, also joined the group. The visit was led by Republican State Senator Bob Martin. However, none of the Republican majority on West Milford's Council supported this effort to eliminate Eagle Ridge’s ticket to development, it’s MUA well permit. Sen. Martin’s Aid left several phone messages for Mayor DiDonato, when we knew he was in Town, but he didn’t respond. No Republican Council members spoke against Eagle Ridge’s well permit at DEP’s public hearing, although about 100 West Milford residents were there to fight against that permit.
Warden has actively fought to remove Valley Ridge from those water-depleting and tax-increasing developments. That’s been part of his work towards improving Greenwood Lake for West Milford recreation and tourism. Warden helped to get a water weed harvester for that Lake, and also to bring Democratic Sherif Speziale and his free SLAPP labor to help harvest the weeds. Warden joined me to take water samples from the MUA’s Olde Milford Sewage outfall pipe, where Valley Ridge would pipe it’s sewage. That sewage effluent would pollute Belchers Creek, Pinecliff Lake and Greenwood lake. As many know, the bacteria count in the effluent sample was 47,000 (NJ Standard being 200) and the phosphorus (i.e., water-weed fertilizer) was 400 percent over MUA’s permit limit. Warden spoke up at the Valley Ridge hearing as one of dozens of residents to provide the West Milford Planning Board with evidence to deny Valley Ridge’s approval, but no Republican Councilmen spoke.
Meanwhile Republican Councilmen continue to bash the NJ Highlands Act, claiming that it keeps rateables out of West Milford. They even approved a 17 page document to be sent by the Planning Director to the Highlands Council on behalf of West Milford, saying that we object to being in the Highlands Preservation area because the Act prevents “major” development, i.e., town-house developments (not individual homes being upgraded or built on family-owned lots). Those Councilmen are again following the “Rateables Chase.” When the NJ State Legislature had a public hearing on the Act at Skylands Manor, Doris Osterhoudt, the West Milford Republican Leader, spoke for 20 minutes against the Act, and against West Milford being in the preservation area. She even called Republican Sen. Bob Martin “a traitor” because of his environmental concerns.
So, we now need Democratic Council candidates Jim Geist and Jim Rauth on board to support Warden and Nolan in protecting our environment and stabilizing our taxes. With two more pro-environment and anti-development Councilmen, West Milford residents would have a majority on Council to fight against mega-development. The Highlands Act is constantly threatened by pro-development legislators, and by antiquated Township laws that favor development. For example, just last week Nolan proposed a West Milford ordinance to restrict preliminary site plans to 5 years. Had that been on the books, Valley Ridge would have been gone, as their site plan would have expired in 2002. The fight against mega-development must continue on many fronts. Geist and Rauth have environmental preservation and tax stabilization as the key-stones in their platform. In addition to fighting the Rateables Myth, they want to stabilize taxes by pushing for a water-user surcharge at a State Level. Warden and Nolan initiated that water-surcharge idea when Republicans said it would fail. However, it now looks like pro-environment Governor Jon Corzine might support it, if we can provide the political push that he needs. Do, check out Rauth and Geist’s www site at www.wmbest.com .
W. Milford
Copyright © 2006 Straus Newspapers. All Rights Reserved.
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