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3 <br />Farmland Preservation Program: Goals for 1998-99 Fiscal Year <br />February 10, 1998 <br />Page Two <br />returned to the County in deferred farm-use taxes. The Advisory Board believes these <br />revenues, which are generated when farmland is sold and converted to development, should <br />be re-invested in farmland that will be voluntarily preserved for the long term. A 5200,000 <br />allocaticn in the coming fiscal year is important for another reason. The U.S. Department of <br />Agriculture, in its renewed emphasis on preserving farmland and its environmental attributes, <br />will distribute 518 million nationally to deserving state and local farmland preservation <br />programs. Utilizing our existing Agricultural Districts program, Orange County would be <br />positioned to receive matching federal funds. <br />Recommendation #2: Orange County should revise its Voluntary Farmland Preservation <br />Program to create more incentives for farmers to participate in the Voluntary Agricultural <br />Districts Program The following financial incentives should be provided: <br />• Farms enrolled in the Voluntary Agricultural Districts Program may defer 50% of <br />their use-value assessed property taxes. This would provide additional tax relief <br />beyond that offered by the use-value taxation program. <br />• Farms enrolled in the Voluntary Agricultural Districts Program that donate land as <br />a conservation easement can be exempted from property taxes on that land. <br />This will preserve farmland much more cheaply than through purchase of <br />development rights (PDR), and will result in more preserved farmland than could <br />ever be purchased outright. Furthermore, the community will be ensured of the <br />continued benefits that farmland provides. <br />• Enrollment as a Voluntary Agricultural District farm is a requirement for eligibility <br />in our proposed PACE program. <br />Implementing these measures will give Orange County one of the most innovative farmland <br />preservation programs in the country. <br />Recommendation #3: Additional tax relief measures should be adopted that can help <br />improve the financial position of farmers. Last year, you sent a letter to our Legislative <br />Delegation, asking them to consider legislation that would eliminate payment of deferred <br />taxes when farmland is sold for continued agricultural use. We commend that action, and <br />ask that you continue this request, and ask that you also consider a request to eliminate or <br />lower property taxes on farm machinery for full-time farmers. <br />Recommendation #4: The County should fund Family Land Planning seminars twice - -~--- <br />annually to inform and educate rural landowners on the potential' benefits of conservation <br />easements in estate planning. Another important element in protecting farmland is helping <br />our rural landowners stay informed about estate planning. We know that conservation - --- <br />easements can be part of a long-term plan to keep farmland in the hands of the family. <br />w <br />