Residents press Jackson council over $393,000 in Open Space Trust Fund spending for park repairs

Residents used the council’s public-comment period June 23 to press elected leaders for clearer accounting after the council placed a $393,000 park-improvement item (Resolution R181) on the agenda that would use Open Space Trust Fund money.

Adam, a resident who addressed the council during the public-comment period, said the township’s adopted 2026 budget showed no planned open-space expenditures yet the council sought nearly $400,000 two weeks later. "When the council adopts that budget, it becomes the official financial roadmap for the year," Adam said, calling the later proposal a "fundamental breakdown in transparency and fiscal planning." He urged the council to explain why the project was not included in the budget and to commit to a more predictable process.

Other speakers, including a member of the Open Space Committee, said they had been provided materials in March but that advisory members were not given an opportunity to vote; another resident recommended returning the matter to a referendum so voters could reconsider permitted uses of the fund. Council members acknowledged concerns and several pledged greater detail in future resolutions. Council President Bernstein said the referendum that authorized the Open Space Trust Fund allows spending on parks and recreation and that earlier purchases of park improvements and playgrounds were lawful under that authorization.

Attorney McGucken told the meeting that, under state law, authority to acquire land or spend municipal funds rests with the governing body and cannot be delegated to an advisory committee, though advisory input remains helpful.

Council members expressed mixed views: some insisted Johnson Park and neighborhood courts need immediate repairs to protect safety and to support upcoming community events; others warned against repeatedly using the open-space fund as a general recreation maintenance account and asked administrators to itemize costs and separate large projects into distinct contract items where practicable.

The council approved the balance of the consent agenda and voted separately on the items removed for more discussion; the public requested more transparent itemization and advance release of bills and claims and consent materials in the future.