Voters to Decide if Trust Fund Will Support Open Space Stewardship
Published on September 02, 2025
Morris County Referendum Cleared to Appear on November Ballot
Morris County Voters will be asked on the Nov. 4, 2025 General Election ballot whether dollars from the county’s Open Space, Farmland, Floodplain Protection and Historic Preservation Trust Fund may be used for stewardship of properties already permanently preserved.
If approved, Morris County would be able to establish a program to support habitat restoration, invasive species reduction, reforestation and green infrastructure improvements on publicly preserved lands, but not general maintenance. No tax increase will result if voters approve the ballot question. The program would utilize funds previously collected and unexpended through the voter-approved Preservation Trust Fund.
The proposal was outlined in an April 23, 2025 report issued to the Commissioners by the Preservation Trust Fund Review Committee, which the Commissioners established in January 2024 to explore potential modifications of the trust fund program. The committee met six times, consulted technical experts and, after robust discussion and deliberation, concluded in its report that establishing a stewardship program for preserved lands is a fitting and responsible use of the Preservation Trust Fund.
“This is a natural next step in our preservation efforts. For more than 30 years, our residents have overwhelmingly supported preservation in Morris County. Adding this program builds upon a long list of successful, voter-approved initiatives, including open space, historic preservation, farmland preservation and trail development. The committee’s recommendation reflects months of evaluation regarding the merits if such a program. Stewardship allows us to care for the lands we’ve protected, ensuring they remain healthy and accessible for future generations,” said Morris County Commissioner Deputy Director Stephen Shaw, who chaired the review committee.
The ballot question, formally authorized by county commissioners, will read as follows:
Public Question:
Shall the County of Morris amend the Morris County Open Space, Farmland, Floodplain Protection, and Historic Preservation Trust Fund to include the purpose of stewardship of permanently preserved land acquired for recreation and conservation purposes that are designed to restore or enhance its utilization for those purposes and allow the use of previously collected funds for those purposes?
Interpretive Statement:
A “YES” vote will permit the County of Morris to include natural resource management, habitat restoration and wildlife stewardship as eligible activities on permanently preserved land acquired for recreation and conservation purposes. These include projects that are designed to enhance or restore the land’s utilization for those purposes as eligible activities funded as part of the Morris County Open Space, Farmland, Floodplain Protection, and Historic Preservation Trust Fund. A “YES” vote will not increase the tax.
A resolution to authorize printing the public question was adopted in June 2025, with the final ballot language submitted to the Morris County Clerk last month in accordance with state law. The county will provide additional outreach and education about the ballot question on its website and social media platforms.
LINK TO THE PRESERVATION TRUST FUND COMMITTEE REPORT
The proposed program would initially be limited to municipal applicants and properties, with the potential to expand and include nonprofit-owned lands in the future. The committee reviewed various categories of stewardship activities to be considered under the program, including natural resources management and planning, meadow and forest restoration, invasive species (plant) removal, wildlife and habitat restoration, pollinator gardens and butterfly habitats and Green infrastructure (e.g., bioswales, rain gardens).
Ineligible activities under the proposed program include routine maintenance, legal fees, land acquisition, recreational infrastructure such as playgrounds or sports fields, and any work on unpreserved land.
The proposed stewardship initiative is modeled after prior Trust Fund expansions, such as the 2014 voter-approved ballot question that successfully enabled funding for trail development. As with the Trail Construction Grant Program, the stewardship program would operate on a matching grant basis, with municipalities contributing a portion of project costs. The committee also suggested the possibility of tiered matching requirements, similar to those used in the county’s Historic Preservation and Flood Mitigation programs.
A full copy of the Preservation Trust Fund Review Committee’s report and information about the Morris County Preservation Trust Fund is available on the county website.
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Photo: Maier's Pond at Turkey Brook Park, a project approved for Open Space Funding in 2019.