Open Space Tax Renewed

The town board voted unanimously this week to continue an annual 3 percent taxpayer surcharge included in the general fund and highway budget in order to fund Bedford's open space land acqusition program.

The measure will be put to voters this fall through a permissive referendum, meaning it will pass unless a resident requests it be put on the ballot via a petition, which must have the signatures of 5 percent of Bedford residents who voted in the last gubernatorial election.

The open space tax funds a 10-year-old program that acquires selective acreage in town and preserves it as open space. First created through a voter referendum in 2000 and renewed by the town board in 2005, the open space fund has acquired over $4 million in land purchases in 2002.

Additional money may be added to the fund from gifts, grants and donations, said Director of Planning Jeffrey Osterman, who led the discussion at the public hearing held to discuss the tax Tuesday night.

The town received 4 letters of support for the tax in advance of the meeting. Adding his support at the hearing, Katonah resident R.J. Marx noted the benefits were town-wide.

"Everyone should recognize it's not just one part of the town," he said. "It is good for the homeowner who is selling, it's good for the neighbors, it's good for the environment," he said.

Marx lives on Ridge Road, where the open space acquisition committee's most recent purchase was recently finalized. On June 22, the 13.5-acre parcel on Ridge Road was preserved in perpetuity through a partnership between the neighbors of the property, the town of Bedford and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.

The town contributed $340,000 through the open space fund, while $167,000 came from the DEP, and the remaining $167,000 came from the several Ridge Road neighbors.

The fund currently holds $2,125,794 and averages $416,360 in annual receipts.