Mayor Varano and the Berkeley Township Council have a powerful tool at their disposal to fight overdevelopment, but they have yet to use it. YOU CAN HELP.

June 2002

Re: Please write Mayor Jason Varano to urge a November ballot referendum allowing Berkeley voters to recommend a small increase in the property tax to create a designated fund for conserving open space.

Dear Berkeley Township Save Barnegat Bay Supporter,

As you are well aware, natural open space is disappearing fast throughout Berkeley Township. Mayor Varano and the Township Council have a powerful tool at their disposal to fight overdevelopment, but they have yet to use it.

Many of the other municipalities in Ocean County have – with the approval of their voters – created designated open space conservation funds in order to conserve open space. Berkeley Township has yet to take this step.

In order to create such a fund, the Township Council must act by August to put a non-binding referendum on the November ballot.

Creating such a fund will leverage your tax dollars because it will make the Township eligible for various Green Acres matching funds and grants. Such a fund could also provide an incentive for the County of Ocean to involve itself in additional land conservation projects in Berkeley.

Please write:

Please ask Mayor Varano to place a referendum on the November ballot allowing voters to recommend a small property tax increase in order to create a designated fund to conserve open space.

Feel free to mention any properties that you feel especially interested in seeing conserved. Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever.

Sincerely,

William deCamp, Jr., President
Save Barnegat Bay

PS Please write even if your primary residence is elsewhere. It is still your quality of life and your tax dollars that are at stake. Handwritten letters are equally as effective as typed.