Fort Monmouth Legislation passes unanimously Bayshore Courier News Posted:06/03/10
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Eatontown - Senator Jennifer Beck announced that legislation sponsored by her and Sen. Raymond Lesniak that would create the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority passed unanimously out of the Senate Economic Growth Committee today. Reportedly the bill now includes several amendments that were added in order to address the concerns of the three municipalities that host Fort Monmouth.
The amendments include requiring all issues of density to be approved by local land use boards, as well as a supermajority of seven of the nine voting members of the authority on any significant modification to the plan, and requiring the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders to submit a list of five Monmouth County residents to the Governor to be chosen as one of the Governor's appointments to the authority. This will give the authority five voting members who are residents of Monmouth County and have a personal, vested interest in the future of the county.
The other voting members include the mayors from the three host municipalities, a member of the Board of Chosen Freeholders, two additional gubernatorial appointments, plus a member of the Governor's staff, and the Chairman of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. The authority would also have non-voting members, consisting of the Commissioners of the Departments of Transportation, Labor, Environmental Protection and Community Affairs.
"It is very important that this bill has come out of committee in time for a final vote by the Senate before the summer break," said Beck. "We are under some time constraints to get an authority created so that the federal government will have an entity to which to turn the property over once the fort closes in 2011. We've struck the right balance between local and regional control and the State's interests as a whole. The amendments aim to address the concerns brought to us by our local officials to maintain a certain amount of control, now that we have amendments in place to ensure that the authority membership is balanced with a majority of representatives from Monmouth County."
"The amendments that provide local municipalities control over density," said Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon, "as well as calling for a supermajority of seven out of nine members of the authority for all major decisions by the authority are safeguards against municipalities losing control of what happens within their borders. We have all worked hard to listen to the concerns of our constituents, and the amendments added to this bill reflect that."
"In New Jersey, we are vested in home rule," said Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande, "which is why it was so important that these amendments are now in place. We cannot permit the State to take complete control over this property, but we also have to remain aware of the regional economic interests in the property. Getting these amendments in place and the bill passed out of committee is a good step towards a fair redevelopment process."
