[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee of the Township of West
Amwell 2-16-2000 by Ord. No. 00-02. Amendments
noted where applicable.]
There is hereby established a reserve in the general capital fund which
shall be known and designated as the "Municipal Open Space, Farmland and Recreation
and Historic Preservation Trust Fund." A special bank account shall be opened
and maintained for this purpose. Funds from the Municipal Open Space, Farmland
and Recreation and Historic Preservation Trust Fund may, as directed by the
Mayor and Township Committee, be utilized to acquire by gift, purchase or
by eminent domain proceedings pursuant to N.J.S.A. 20:3-1 et seq. development
easements, vacant land, as well as land which has improvements upon it at
the time of acquisition, where the principal purpose of the acquisition is
for any or all of the following purposes, or any combination thereof:
A.Â
Acquisition of farmland for farmland preservation purposes;
B.Â
Development of lands acquired for recreation and conservation
purposes;
C.Â
Maintenance of lands acquired for recreation and conservation
purposes;
D.Â
Acquisition of lands for recreation and conservation
purposes;
E.Â
Historic preservation of historic properties, structures,
facilities, sites, areas or objects and the acquisition of such properties,
structures, facilities, sites, areas or objects for historic preservation
purposes; or
[Amended 12-19-2001 by Ord. No. 01-17; 12-29-2004
by Ord. No. 20-2004]]
The Municipal Open Space, Farmland and Recreation and Historic Preservation Trust Fund shall be funded through the dedication to the fund of an amount of $0.06 per $100 of assessed valuation of each tax levy commencing with the year tax and budget year 2005. The fund shall also be permitted to accept donations and testamentary bequests. The accumulated receipts and deposits with the fund may be utilized for the purposes set forth in §§ 35-1 and 35-2 herein. Any and all interest accruing shall be retained in and used for the same purposes as established in accordance with §§ 35-1 and 35-2 herein. All moneys set aside for open space as of the effective date of this chapter shall be deposited into the fund.
A.Â
No property acquired with these funds shall be leased
or sold unless action has been authorized by the Mayor and Township Committee
in a manner as prescribed by law.
B.Â
The Mayor and Township Committee, after at least one
public hearing thereon, and upon a finding that the purposes of this chapter
might otherwise be better served or that any land acquired by the Township
of West Amwell pursuant to this chapter is required for another public use
may, by ordinance, convey, through sale, exchange, transfer or other disposition,
title to or a lesser interest in that land, provided that the Township of
West Amwell shall replace any land conveyed under this section by land of
at least equal fair market value and of reasonably equivalent usefulness,
size, quality and location to the land conveyed. Any money derived from the
conveyance shall be deposited into the fund created hereunder.
C.Â
Any conveyance made pursuant to this section shall be
made in strict accordance with the Local Lands and Buildings Law (N.J.S.A.
40A:12-1 et seq.). In the event of conveyance by exchange, the land or improvements
thereon to be transferred to the trust shall be at least equal in fair market
value and of reasonable equivalent usefulness, size, quality and location
to the land or improvements transferred from the trust.