Is preserving open space in local neighborhoods worth paying for out of pocket?

That's the question local taxpayers will be asked when they head to the polls this Election Day, as the Town of North Hempstead puts forward a bond referendum that asks town residents to dig a little deeper to help protect their local environment.

The town board on Thursday, Aug. 31 passed a resolution to let residents decide whether or not to institute a $15 million bond known as the Environmental Legacy Fund. Local residents would pay approximately an extra $9 in yearly town taxes if it is approved by voters on Nov. 7. The fund would dedicate money for open space acquisition, restoration and protection of environmentally sensitive areas, and improvement of coastal areas and waterways.

Last Thursday's town board vote to pass the bond resolution was 3-1, with Supervisor May Newburger, Councilman Tony D'Urso and Councilwoman Doreen Banks voting for the measure, and Councilman James P. O'Connor voting against it. Councilman Angelo P. Ferrara was absent from the town board meeting.

Supervisor Newburger noted that North Hempstead is the first town in Nassau to propose such a fund. "This is the culmination of our ongoing policy to protect the environment, our water, and to preserve open space in our almost fully developed town," she stated following the town board's approval of the measure. "And equally important, we are leaving it to our residents to decide in November if they agree with us that the Environmental Legacy Fund is the best way to protect our environment for the future."

O'Connor, who is from Westbury and was the sole dissending vote, said last Friday that he wants to preserve the environment, but feels that increasing taxes is not the way to do it. "I could have supported this, if it could have been done in a way that it wouldn't have all been borne by the taxpayer," he said, noting that the town could explore alternatives for protecting the environment, such as federal and state funds, and programs that give developers incentives for helping to preserve land.

O'Connor added that there is some opposition to the bond from communities in the southern portion of the town who are concerned about how the money would be spent. "If the supervisor would like this effort to be successful - and in order for the effort to be successful, the referendum is going to have to pass - she needs to be more specific about what she intends to spend the money on," he said. "Otherwise communities like New Hyde Park, and Mineola, and Carle Place, are going to say, 'Why should I spend $9 a year in additional taxes when all of this money is going to go up into Great Neck?'"

In a meeting with The Westbury Times in her office at town hall last Thursday, Newburger said the money would be appropriated for areas throughout the entire municipality. "This fund is for the whole town. It's not just to pour money into the waterfront areas," she said. In the southern portion, she said it could be used, for example, to turn unused land into passive parks in Carle Place and Westbury. "We want to protect as much open space as we can for the future," she added.

Residents will have an opportunity to provide input on how the fund, if approved, would be spent, during a public hearing to be held at the next town board meeting on Sept. 19. The purpose of the hearing is to define for voters the procedures and criteria that will be used in rationing out the Environmental Legacy Fund money.

According to an informational flier provided by the town's office of public affairs, the municipality proposes to separate the $15 million into three general categories of use: Open Space Acquisition - $8 million, Restoration and Protection of Environmentally Sensitive Areas - $4 million, Improvement and Enhancement of Coastal Areas and Waterways - $3 million. The purpose, and allocation, of the funds would be outlined in a local law, along with the establishment of an advisory review committee consisting of representatives from all parts of the town.

The purpose of the advisory review committee would be to receive and review the suggestions of residents for specific acquisitions and projects, and to pass those on to the town board for final action. The 17-member group would be composed of the following: 4 - appointed by the town supervisor reflecting geographic, demographic, racial/ethnic representation, 4 - one appointed by each of the four town board members from a local civic association or environmental organization, 1 - Chair, Town Ecological Commission, 1 - Chair, Town Waterfront Advisory Commission, 5 - Ex-Officio (town officials) members including a Town Supervisor Representative, Town Attorney, Commissioner of Planning, Commissioner of Parks, Commissioner of Public Works, 1 - New York State Assembly Commission on the Water Resources Needs of Long Island, 1 - New York State Senate Committee on Water Resources Needs of Long Island. The town's planning department, with the assistance of the committee, would develop procedures for initiating, reviewing, and recommending projects to the town board.

In addition to attending the Sept. 19 public hearing, residents can offer recommendations on how the proposed bond money could be spent by calling the Environmental Legacy Fund hotline at 869-7720.