Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
2 <br /> 1 He added it is up to the Board if they want this submitted because there are so many loopholes and <br /> 2 legislative changes are the only way to close them. <br /> 3 <br /> 4 Senator Foushee said if this is something they want the Delegation to introduce and support this <br /> 5 should not be done in their short session because she is not sure if it meets the criteria for a short <br /> 6 session. <br /> 7 <br /> 8 Commissioner Dorosin said this issue came about because people are trying to get a farm <br /> 9 categorization in order to avoid zoning. <br /> 10 <br /> 11 Senator Foushee said this would have to be a statewide bill not a local bill. <br /> 12 <br /> 13 Representative Meyer said pressure that comes around this issue is from large farms like forestry and <br /> 14 livestock farms and this is an issue that would engage a lot of different industries. This is a <br /> 15 conversation that he would like to have time to talk to farmers and bring forth in a long session. <br /> 16 <br /> 17 Commissioner Jacobs said this would go along with Item #31 –Agriculture- Support Conservation of <br /> 18 Working Lands and Farmland Preservation. He said these two items could address conflicts in <br /> 19 urbanizing areas and those areas that are trying to exploit agri-toursim rules. <br /> 20 <br /> 21 Chair McKee said this is more of an issue in the urbanizing areas such as the proposed event venue in <br /> 22 the southern part of Orange County. He said this proposed property is not a farm, which exempts <br /> 23 them out of regulation. <br /> 24 Chair McKee said the conversation could start now with Farm Bureau and we could bring it back to the <br /> 25 long session next year. But if the Legislature does move forward with this, many of these farms are <br /> 26 small farms and the agri tourism events are critical to their function. But as it stands now this process <br /> 27 is being abused. <br /> 28 Chair McKee said he is seeing an increase in the area of non-farm activities. <br /> 29 <br /> 30 Representative Insko said who is supportive of this issue in the community and who is opposed to it as <br /> 31 it now stands. <br /> 32 <br /> 33 Chair McKee said the concerns are from neighborhoods that have been mainly for agricultural use and <br /> 34 now people are coming in and turning these into farms for commercial use. <br /> 35 <br /> 36 Representative Insko said again - who is opposed to this proposed clarification. <br /> 37 <br /> 38 Chair McKee said the agricultural community are concerned that if the language is "tightened" then <br /> 39 this may hurt their operations-because if you have a declining farm operation but your agri-tourism <br /> 40 increases-and five years down the line you are suddenly not farming but the other one—would you be <br /> 41 grandfathered in <br /> 42 <br /> 43 Representative Insko said is this a zoning and tax issue. <br /> 44 <br /> 45 John Roberts said with the Board it is a zoning issue but there are some potential tax implications. <br /> 46 <br /> 47 Representative Meyer said this type of issue in the General Assembly is never a "cut and dry" issue <br /> 48 and may be amended and changed many times meaning it could move slower through the process. <br /> 49 Most legislators don't want to vote on something "under the radar". And if the Delegation takes the <br /> 50 time to review and talk this out, then that would enable them as legislators to get this up the statewide <br /> 51 chain by lobbying through the Farm Bureau. <br /> 52 <br /> 53 Representative Insko said this should be a bill with a lot of statewide interest as related to farms. <br /> 54 <br />