Pollak claims taxpayer-approved money diverted to parks projects, demands transparency
Jackson, NJ – A Jackson Township councilman sharply criticized local officials during Tuesday night’s council meeting, alleging that funds intended for land preservation are being spent on unrelated projects and raising broader concerns about transparency and development decisions.
Councilman Chris Pollak used extended remarks during the meeting to question how the township is handling both its affordable housing obligations and its open space fund, which is financed through voter-approved taxes.
“I’ve asked repeatedly who these developers are, who’s involved with the planning meetings. I still haven’t received any clear answers,” Pollak said, referring to ongoing concerns about redevelopment and housing overlay zones.
Pollak also pointed to the township’s master plan process, stating, “The township spent over $300,000 on a master plan… and after all that money and time, we still ended up putting 58% of our prospective affordable housing obligations in the Pinelands.”
Allegations over open space fund spending
A central focus of Pollak’s remarks was the use of Jackson’s open space fund, which voters approved to preserve land and limit development. He argued the money is being redirected away from its intended purpose.
“People voted to be taxed… because they want to protect the land,” Pollak said. “The use of these funds is supposed to be for the acquisition of lands… Is this what’s happening in Jackson? Not necessarily.”
He alleged that township officials have used the fund “as a secondary parks and rec fund,” citing expenditures on “pickle ball courts, playground equipment, lawn care, and engineering fees for projects unrelated to land purchase and acquisition.”
Pollak added, “I’ve spent over half a million dollars on things unrelated to purchasing land,” referencing his review of township bills dating back to January 2025.
Key Points
- Councilman alleges misuse of open space funds for non-preservation projects
- Claims over $500,000 spent on items like parks equipment and maintenance
- Raises concerns over transparency in development and housing planning
Broader criticism of leadership and transparency
Pollak also criticized township leadership and past council decisions, including his own votes. “I regret some of my votes… I’m kind of regretting the vote for our business administrator,” he said.
He further questioned a vehicle purchase, stating, “A Chevy Tahoe purchase with public funds for the police appears to have been assigned to our business administrator… I don’t think the public was aware of this.”
The councilman called for greater public involvement and scrutiny of local government decisions. “The public should be upset. They should come into these meetings. They should speak out,” Pollak said, adding, “We need real transparency… not hiding things, not doing things in the dark, not making backroom deals.”
Pollak indicated he plans to introduce an ordinance aimed at restricting how open space funds can be used, though it remains unclear whether it will advance to a vote.
Transcript of Pollak’s comments
Jackson Councilman slams mayor and colleagues over open space slush fund being used for things other than open space.
Chris Pollak said at Tuesday night’s meeting:
“But I have to get to a little bit of business. It’s been a while since I’ve been in front of this microphone, and I’ve got to start bringing up a couple things.
Still about our town’s affordable housing plan and the overlay zones—I’ve asked repeatedly who these developers are, who’s involved with the planning meetings. I still haven’t received any clear answers. The township spent over $300,000 on a master plan, and our affordable housing planning was a part of that process. After all that money and time, we still ended up putting 58% of our prospective affordable housing obligations in the Pinelands.
Now, why would we do that? Pinelands land is usually very restricted and very difficult to develop on. And when something’s difficult to develop on, guess what? The price is going to be very low. When the government votes and creates overlay zones, that increases the price of this land for particular developers. And when you’re able to just increase land value with a vote, it begs you to ask who owns this land, who is part of this planning, and who is in these planning meetings—who benefits from these decisions.
The public deserves to know, because when land values change because of government action, the public needs to know everything. We also kept a letter from the Pinelands Commission citing serious concerns and urging us to table the ordinances, from myself and other council members voting on it. How transparent is this government? I have to ask.
Secondly, one of the biggest issues in Jackson, of course, is development. And due to being such a concern about this, we have an open space fund. Now, people voted on this, right? They voted to be taxed. We fought a war over being taxed. Everybody in this town cares so deeply about development and nature that they voted to be taxed because they want to protect the land.
Now, the use of these funds is supposed to be for the acquisition of lands and interest in lands for open space, recreation, conservation, and farmland preservation purposes. Is this what’s happening in Jackson? Not necessarily. They’ve been using this fund as a secondary parks and rec fund to support pet projects—things like pickleball courts, playground equipment, lawn care, and engineering fees for projects unrelated to land purchase and acquisition.
I went through all the bills from January 2025 till now, and we’ve spent over half a million dollars on things unrelated to purchasing land, which is what people are most concerned about. I’ve also created an ordinance that I’ll be sending to our council president to help hopefully fix this problem. We’ll see if they can pass it, if it’ll even come to a vote. But I’m also very concerned about the financial future of our town and how we’re spending our tax money.
Now, I have some regrets, to be honest, as a councilman. I regret some of my votes. I regret voting for some of the spending, and I’m kind of regretting the vote for our business administrator. I regret voting for what I thought were vehicles for our police. A Chevy Tahoe purchase with public funds for the police appears to have been assigned to our business administrator.
Now, I know he’s been made our public safety director, but I wasn’t aware of this. I don’t think the public was aware of this. And this is after losing a $2 million lawsuit that had to do with that very role.
There are a lot of things going on, and everybody wants to go and blame the people before you. But the people here have been in office for years. They ran with prior administrations. They’ve controlled the council. They were involved in these votes. I don’t know if you can call yourself a leader and just blame everything on the previous administration.
I think the public should be upset. They should come into these meetings. They should speak out.
And I think we should bring back an old tradition of bringing tomatoes to the meeting. And whenever you hear that word ‘transparency,’ maybe you should throw it up front. Because I’m sick and tired of hearing that word and not getting any.
This is why I’m here. I’m not here to make friends. I’m not here to smile and shake hands. I’m here to question what’s going on in this town and hopefully make things better.
We need real transparency. We need real action from our officials—not hiding things, not doing things in the dark, not making backroom deals, because that’s what’s happening in this town.
And I’m here to call it out. Have a great night, everybody.”
