North Whitehall Township Open Space Action Plan Questionnaire

1.Tell us about yourself:(Required.)
2.In what age group do you fall:(Required.)
3.How many people are in your household, including yourself?(Required.)
4.To what extent do you agree with the following statements about North Whitehall Township?(Required.)
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
Farmland Preservation is important. (Preservation of farmland, etc.)
Natural Resource Preservation is important. (Preservation of woodlands, waterbodies, riparian corridors, etc.)
Active Recreation is important. (Ballfields, playgrounds, exercise stations, etc.)
Passive Recreation is important. (Walking, hiking, and biking trails, birdwatching, etc.)
5.The Township, in conjunction with partnering agencies, has preserved approximately 653 acres of land (eleven properties) in North Whitehall to date. This is roughly 12% of land categorized as agricultural and/or vacant within the Township. Do you feel enough land within the Township has been preserved already?(Required.)
6.In 2019, the voters of the Township approved an assessment of 0.1 mill of property tax to be used for Farmland and Open Space Preservation. This assessment was estimated to generate about $140,000 dollars annually. Utilizing this funding, the Township has acquired easements on approximately 213 acres (four properties) since 2020. There are currently twelve additional property owners that have expressed interest in preserving their land. Continuing with this funding source, the Township can potentially preserve one property per year. However, there is no guarantee that these properties will be available for preservation indefinitely, i.e. development pressure, loss of interest, change in ownership, etc. Do you feel preserving one property per year is sufficient?(Required.)
7.Knowing that the Township has a backlog of 12+ property owners seeking to preserve their land without sufficient funding available to preserve them in a timely manner, would you support an increase to the earned income tax to fund the preservation of open space at a faster rate in North Whitehall Township?(Required.)