Agenda - 01-20-2000 - 8h - Laserfiche WebLink

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ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: January 18, 2000 Action Agenda Item No. 8- h SUBJECT: Revisions to the Voluntary Farmland Preservation Program (VFPP) Ordinance DEPARTMENT: Environment and Resource PUBLIC HEARING: (Y /N) No Conservation ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: Revised VFPP Ordinance Dave Stancil, 245 -2590 TELEPHONE NUMBERS: Hillsborough 732 -8181 Chapel Hill 968 -4501 Durham 688 -7331 Mebane 336- 227 -2031 PURPOSE: To consider revisions to the County's Voluntary Farmland Preservation Program Ordinance to address a name change and expansion of the Board's makeup and scope. BACKGROUND: On June 1, the Board of Commissioners considered revisions to this ordinance submitted by the Agricultural Districts Advisory Board (ADAB). The proposed revisions centered around changing the name of the ADAB to the Agricultural Preservation Board (APB), to reflect a broader mission and charge to the group consistent with the BOCC goal, and the Ag Board's relationship with the County ERCD and the Federal Natural Resource Conservation Service. At that time, the Board of Commissioners suggested additional changes be addressed, to broaden the makeup of the Board to include members in non - traditional farming and a representative of farmer's markets. The revised ordinance submitted by the ADAB would expand the membership of the Agricultural Preservation Board from seven to 11, including at least one member from non- traditional farming activities such as organic farming and horticulture and one representative of a farmer's market. The maximum number of Voluntary Agricultural District owners on the Board would be set at one - third, rather than assuring one seat to each district. This recognizes that it will not be practical to guarantee a seat to each district in the program, with the Voluntary Agricultural District program continuing to grow. All other revisions are name changes consistent with the previous version reviewed on June 1. At their meetings on August 18 and October 20, the ADAB unanimously agreed to recommend these revisions to the Board for adoption. On December 15, the ADAB further revised the draft by removing a provision that would have new developments within one mile of voluntary agricultural districts subject to review by the Ag Board.