[Adopted 1-6-1999 by Ord. No. O-1998-00034]
[Amended 12-27-2007 by Ord. No. O-2007-00032]
A referendum was overwhelmingly approved by
the Essex County voters on November 3, 1998, whereby the governing
body of the County of Essex shall establish a County Recreation and
Open Space Trust Fund pursuant to Public Law 1997, Chapter 24, which shall be funded through the collection of property
tax at a rate not to exceed $0.015 per $100 of total County equalized
real property valuation.
Said County Recreation and Open Space Trust
Fund shall be used for any or all of the following purposes or any
combination thereof as determined by the governing body:
A. Acquisition of lands for recreation and conservation
purposes.
B. Development of lands acquired for recreation and conservation
purposes.
C. Maintenance of lands acquired for recreation and conservation
purposes.
D. Acquisition of farmland for farmland preservation
purposes.
E. 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.
F. Payment of debt service on indebtedness issued or incurred by the County of Essex for any of the above purposes, except for Subsection
C above.
Funds designated for maintenance and development
will supplement the budget of the Essex County Department of Parks,
Recreation and Cultural Affairs for maintenance and restoration and
development of the Essex County Parks System, provided that the budget
of the Essex County Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs
for maintenance of the Essex County Parks System continues at 1998
levels.
[Amended 12-27-2007 by Ord. No. O-2007-00032]
A sum not to exceed $0.015 per $100 of equalized
value, pursuant to Public Law 1997, Chapter 24, shall be collected
annually and referred to as the "County Recreation and Open Space
Trust Fund Tax."
The monies so collected be set aside by rider
in a dedicated trust fund approved by the Division of Local Government
to be used only for the purposes of the County Recreation and Open
Space Trust Fund.
The funds in the County Recreation and Open
Space Trust Fund shall be allocated by the County Executive with the
advice and consent of the Board of County Commissioners following
at least one public hearing on the subject.
[Adopted 9-8-1999 by Ord. No. O-1999-00010]
[Amended 12-18-2014 by Ord. No. O-2014-00018]
A. The Essex County Recreation and Open Space Advisory Board will consist
of 11 members, two of which shall be considered standing members:
(1) Director of the Essex County Department of Parks, Recreation and
Cultural Affairs.
(2) Commissioner President or their designee.
B. Nine members will be appointed by the County Executive with the advice
and consent of the Board of County Commissioners.
C. All members shall be appointed for three years.
The Board shall have the following powers and
duties:
A. Make recommendations to the County Executive regarding
the overall administration of the County Open Space Acquisition Program
established pursuant to the Public Law 1989, Chapter 30.
B. Prepare a park, recreation and open space plan for
adoption by the County.
C. Develop and recommend to the County Executive a system
to prioritize the selection of open space areas for acquisition, the
system to include:
(1) Consideration of existing municipal, County and state
plans.
(2) The identification of geographic areas for acquisitions
based on established criteria.
(3) The identification of the type of land to be acquired
for open space.
D. Develop and recommend to the County Executive a funding
assistance program, which may include:
(1) Acquisition of lands for recreation and conservation
purposes;
(2) Development of lands acquired for recreation and conservation
purposes;
(3) Maintenance of lands acquired for recreation and conservation
purposes;
(4) Acquisition of farmland for farmland preservation
purposes;
(5) Historic preservation of historic properties, structures,
facilities, sites, areas, or objects, and the acquisition of such
properties, facilities, sites, areas, or objects for historic preservation
purposes; and
(6) Payment of debt service on indebtedness issued or
incurred by a county or municipality for any of the purposes set forth
above.
The County Recreation and Open Space Program
shall be administered by the County Administration as determined by
the County Executive. The Administration is to provide staff support
to the Board and shall publish an annual public report at the end
of the fiscal year, which shall be mailed to the mayor of each municipality.