Commissioners invest in future of agricultural, natural lands
They voted to adopt a new conservation easement policy establishing an Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Fund and updating the existing Farmland Preservation Ordinance.
The policy creates a conservation easement fund of $340,610, using roll back, or deferred, taxes generated when land is taken out of agricultural use and the Present Use Value program, most commonly when it is sold for development, according to Bill Stone, director of the county's Agricultural Extension Program.
'The newly established fund will reinvest the deferred taxes back into farmland preservation, earmarking these dollars toward landowner costs associated with conservation easement projects,' Stone said.
Several residents spoke at Monday's meeting with most voicing support for the plan.
'It will empower farmers to resist rising development pressures, while advancing the public's goal of maintaining the open spaces which have always been such an essential and attractive element of life in Lee County,' said Jimmy Randolph of the Sanford Area Growth Alliance.
Jim Foster noted that the county is continuing to grow and increase in population, subdivisions and schools.
'It's an increase in pretty much everything. With this type of growth, we have growing pains. One of the biggest pains is the loss of forest and farmlands,' he said.
The board also voted to approve revisions to the existing farmland preservation ordinance that was last updated in 2013, Stone said. 'Along with maintaining their commitment to the Voluntary Agricultural District, or VAD, program, the board added the option for landowners to participate in the Enhanced Voluntary Agricultural District, or EVAD. That program requires a 10-year irrevocable commitment from the landowner to agree to keep the land in agricultural use,' Stone said.
The ordinance allows farms smaller than five acres to qualify for the VAD and EVAD programs, recognizing the growth of smaller farms in the county.
'I'm in support of the VAD and EVAD proposals, but I'm in opposition to creating a special fund that would provide taxpayer benefits to those paying taxes on the property,' Jim Womack said. 'The issue here is taking the taxpayers' money to benefit someone who doesn't want to pay taxes. The rollback taxes should come back to the taxpayer.'
Commissioner Samantha Martin cast the lone vote against the conservation easement policy. Like Womack, she believes that rollback taxes should be returned to the taxpayers.
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