Sparta Council moves to ban detention and correctional facilities

Sparta Township officials took a step Tuesday toward banning all detention, correctional and other carceral facilities within township limits.

Ordinance 26-02, introduced at the council meeting, would amend the municipal land use code to prohibit such facilities entirely. Township leaders cited concerns that detention centers are “not an appropriate” use of land and could place “an undue and unnecessary burden on the township’s water supply and wastewater capacity systems.”

The ordinance also states that a prohibition would “promote the public safety, health and general welfare of the township and its residents.” Council members voted unanimously to introduce the measure.

Before it can be enacted, the ordinance must be reviewed by the township planning board for consistency with the master plan, followed by a public hearing for resident input. If approved, the ban would be codified into township law.

Sparta is not the first New Jersey community to consider such a restriction. Roxbury Township passed a similar ordinance in January after reports emerged that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was negotiating the purchase of a warehouse there. While Roxbury’s action did not stop the sale, finalized in February, officials said they plan to continue opposing the facility through legal channels.