Do you Want to Keep Colts Neck Green?
Colts Neck Township in central Monmouth County, previously known as Atlantic Township, was once a serene rural town with a robust farming community. Although Colts Neck still retains some of its valued rural character, it has transformed into an estate community where hundreds of homes have been built and thousands of acres of natural green space have been lost to development, forever.
Development pressures are rising, and land preservation is now more important than ever. Preservation is the only guaranteed way to permanently protect undeveloped land and remove its development potential, thereby safeguarding our remaining natural resources forever.
To date, Colts Neck has protected 1,320 acres of parks and open space and 1,060 acres of farmland. For a town spanning 20,713 total acres, we still have a lot of work to do! As Colts Neck approaches full build-out, we must seize opportunities to preserve the remaining undeveloped and unprotected tracts of land and their associated, critical natural resources before they are lost indefinitely.
The good news - MCF and partners are actively pursuing the preservation of 350 acres and targeting hundreds more for conservation in Colts Neck. The bad news - land values throughout the County are skyrocketing, and more funding is needed to acquire land or conservation easements for preservation.
On the November 7, 2023 ballot, a referendum will ask voters to increase the collection rate (tax) of the Colts Neck Municipal Open Space, Farmland, and Historic Preservation Trust Fund.
Your annual contribution to the Trust Fund is a minor investment in your community –Keeping Colts Neck Green – providing countless benefits. This tax can be used only for the preservation of open space, farmland, and historic land in Colts Neck. These funds may not be used for active recreation purposes per Township ordinance.
The proposed modest increase presents an opportunity to collectively make a significant impact. Land preservation is achieved when property is purchased by the township or donated outright, or development rights are purchased or donated through a conservation easement. MCF, as Monmouth County’s only land trust, helps to facilitate land preservation in partnership with public and private partners. Federal, state, and county government programs provide funding for land preservation but require some contribution or “match” by the municipality where the land is based.
The Colts Neck Municipal Open Space, Farmland, and Historic Preservation Trust Fund provides this required match funding and unlocks the government funds available through them. The current Trust Fund is insufficient to offset development and other pressures to prevent further loss of green space in Colts Neck, thus the tax increase referendum being proposed on the upcoming fall ballot. Without sufficient matching funds, many preservation opportunities will be unachievable. Once land is developed, it is lost forever.
Government programs that provide funding for land preservation include:
Monmouth County Open Space Program supported by your tax dollars through the Monmouth County Open Space Trust Fund to permanently preserve public land of County significance
New Jersey Corporation Business Tax supported by corporate/business tax dollars, approved by NJ voters to provide long-term open space, park, farmland, and historic preservation efforts
Federal funding provided by the US Department of Defense through the Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program to permanently protect additional land that buffers Naval Weapons Station (NSW) Earle
Your residential tax dollars allocated to the Colts Neck Municipal Open Space, Farmland, and Historic Preservation Trust Fund and Monmouth County Space Fund are leveraged to the greatest extent in combination with these government funding programs to preserve land.
If approved by voters, the proposed increase to the Colts Neck Municipal Open Space, Farmland, and Historic Preservation Trust collection rate (tax) in Colts Neck will generate additional funds available to save open space, preserve farmland, protect drinking water, and shelter wildlife. Built-in accountability measures ensure the funds are properly spent. The funds are held in a separate account restricted to the acquisition of land; easements and development rights for open space; and farmland and historic preservation purposes.
Your annual contribution to the Trust Fund is a minor investment in your community – Keeping Colts Neck Green – providing countless benefits.
