Morris County voters to decide on use of preservation funds for land stewardship in 2025 election
MORRIS COUNTY, N.J. — Morris County voters will be asked on the Nov. 4, 2025, General Election ballot whether money 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, the measure would allow the county to establish a program to support habitat restoration, invasive species reduction, reforestation, and green infrastructure improvements on publicly preserved lands — but not for general maintenance. No tax increase will result if voters approve the question, and the program would use funds already collected and unspent through the voter-approved Preservation Trust Fund.
The proposal stems from an April 23, 2025, report issued to the Board of County Commissioners by the Preservation Trust Fund Review Committee. Formed in January 2024, the committee met six times, consulted technical experts, and concluded that a stewardship program would be a “fitting and responsible use” of the trust fund.
“This is a natural next step in our preservation efforts,” said Morris County Commissioner Deputy Director Stephen Shaw, who chaired the review committee. “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 of such a program. Stewardship allows us to care for the lands we’ve protected, ensuring they remain healthy and accessible for future generations.”
The ballot question, formally authorized by the 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 designed to enhance or restore the land’s utilization for those purposes as part of the Morris County Open Space, Farmland, Floodplain Protection, and Historic Preservation Trust Fund. A “YES” vote will not increase the tax.
The commissioners adopted a resolution authorizing the question in June 2025, and final ballot language was submitted to the county clerk last month in accordance with state law. The county plans to provide additional outreach and education about the measure through its website and social media platforms.
The proposed program would initially apply to municipal applicants and properties, with potential expansion to nonprofit-owned lands in the future. Activities under consideration include natural resource management, meadow and forest restoration, invasive plant removal, wildlife and habitat restoration, pollinator gardens, butterfly habitats, and green infrastructure such as rain gardens and bioswales.
Ineligible activities would include routine maintenance, land acquisition, legal fees, recreational structures, or any work on unpreserved land.
The stewardship proposal follows earlier trust fund expansions, including the 2014 voter-approved measure that funded trail development. Like that program, the stewardship initiative would operate on a matching grant basis, with municipalities contributing to project costs.
A copy of the Preservation Trust Fund Review Committee’s full report and more information on the Morris County Preservation Trust Fund are available on the county’s website.
