On Nov. 3, voters in Tinton Falls supported a nonbinding referendum to cut the open space tax rate. In subsequent news articles, those on the Borough Council who support the cut were "ecstatic" at the result. While I appreciate the attempts of those council members to cut our taxes, I feel very strongly that the taxpayers were misled. I wonder how many who voted in support of the tax cut actually knew that the relief we will all feel if this is passed will be only $26 per year — that's about $2 per-month that we can all put toward our other bills.

Now, what do we get in exchange? By not preserving as much open space as we can, we leave ourselves open to further development. We all know what follows development — more traffic and more families with more children. The result — the very real possibility of more schools, more needed services, more road congestion — in other words, the potential for higher taxes to pay for growth. I know there is a master plan that some people think will prevent excessive growth. I wish I could feel that confident. I'm sure I'm not alone in saying, once it's gone, it's gone, and once we have development, it's here to stay. As for the seemingly huge amount of open space money, which the borough currently has — at a council meeting, Director of Finance Stephen Pfeffer stated that the majority of those funds are already earmarked for earlier commitments.

For $26 a year, I'd rather see the borough develop land that can be used for people who don't have kids in soccer or other sports. I'd like to see some really great parks for little children, with water spray areas and slides and swings and jumpy things and little mountains for them to climb. I'd like to see picnic areas with shade trees where families can enjoy lovely sunny afternoons together. I'd like to see parks with walking/jogging/bicycling trails where people can enjoy those activities safely. I'd like to see some land that has the potential to serve as another community garden — if the first one proves to be successful.

I'd love to see a place where the borough can celebrate Christmas or Memorial Day or Veterans Day, where we can safely gather and hear the songs and speeches and not have to compete with noisy traffic. There are so many great things that can be done with open space, things that we can all collectively enjoy. If the savings were substantial and the risk for loss far less, I'd say to the Borough Council members, you were "right on" to try to save us taxpayers money. But in this case, I can't say that. If you are reading this wish, please go to the Tinton Falls website (www.tintonfalls.com) and let our council members know your preference, before this gets put to a council vote.
Barbara Scott
Tinton Falls