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APPROVED 10120198 <br />MINUTES <br />ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />BI-MONTHLY WORK SESSION <br />FEBRUARY 10, 1998 <br />The Orange County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, February 10, 1998 <br />at 7:30 p.m. in the Judge F. Gordon Battle Courtroom, new County Courthouse in Hillsborough, North <br />Carolina. <br />COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Margaret W. Brown and Commissioners William L. <br />Crowther, Alice M. Gordon and Stephen H. Halkiotis. <br />COUNTY COMMISSIONER ABSENT: Moses Carey, Jr. <br />COUNTY ATTORNEY PRESENT: Geoffrey Gledhill <br />COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager John M. Link, Jr., Assistant County Managers Rod <br />Visser and Albert Kittrell and Clerk to the Board Beverly A. Blythe (All other staff members will be identified <br />appropriately below) <br />.NOTE: ALL DOCUMENTS REFERRED TO IN THESE MINUTES ARE IN THE PERMANENT <br />AGENDA FILE IN THE CLERK'S OFFICE. <br />AGENDA <br />1. REPORTS FROM BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS - ORAL PRESENTATIONS <br />A. Agricultural Districts Advisory Board <br />Dolly Hunter, Chair of the Agricultural Districts Advisory Board, made the presentation. <br />She stated that "Our Voluntary Farmland Preservation Program will combine private landowner initiative with <br />financial incentives to preserve greater areas of farmland at far less cost than previously thought possible". <br />For the fiscal year 1998-99, the Agricultural Districts Advisory Board asked the County Commissioners to <br />consider the following recommendations that will help preserve Orange County farms: <br />Recommendation #1: Orange County should allocate $200,000 for a Purchase of Agricultural Conservation <br />Easements or PACE program. <br />Recommendation #2: Orange County should revise its Voluntary Farmland Preservation Program to create <br />more incentives for farmers to participate in the Voluntary Agricultural Districts program. <br />Recommendation #3: Additional tax relief measures should be adopted that can help improve the financial <br />position of farmers. <br />Recommendation #4: The County should fund Family Land Planning seminars twice annually to inform and <br />educate rural landowners on the potential benefits of conservation easements in estate planning. <br />Recommendation #5: Orange County should establish a Transfer of Development Rights {TDR} program <br />based on a market-driven svstem that is equitable for rural landowners. <br />Chris Hogan, member of the Agricultural Districts Advisory Board, talked about the history of <br />preservation. He feels there has to be an equitable way of initiating programs like TDR, PDR, conservation <br />easements, etc. He hopes that the County moves in this direction, which seems to be the natural way to go. <br />He feels people are willing to pay more in taxes to preserve open space. While there are many issues that