Agenda - 03-24-1992 - Laserfiche WebLink

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lei receive the benefits provided by this ordinance, the farm must be certified as qualifying farmland by the Agricultural Districts Advisory Board and designated as a voluntary agricultural district by the Board of County Commissioners. [The above provision was added to clarify the distinction between qualifying farmland and a voluntary agricultural district. The procedures listed below identify the method by which applications for certification /designation are processed. The Planning Department has been designated as the beginning point in this process,. since it has served as staff to the Advisory Board. The actual determination of compliance with the qualifying farmland certification criteria would be the responsibility of the Orange County Tax Supervisor and Soil Conservation offices, and the Advisory Board. Designation of a farm as a voluntary agricultural district would be the responsibility of the Board of County Commissioners.] 1. Applications for qualifying farmland certification and for voluntary agricultural district designation shall be made to the orange County planning Department on forms provided by that department. 2. The Planning Department shall review each application for completeness. When complete, the application shall be forwarded to: a. The orange County Tax Supervisor's Office; and b. The local office of the Soil Conservation Service of the United States Department of Agriculture. Within 30 days of receiving an application, the above offices shall evaluate the application for compliance with the requirements of Section y.D.2. above and return their findings to the planning Department. The Planning Department shall present the application for consideration at the first meeting of the Agricultural Districts Advisory Board. following receipt of the findings of the above offices. [Rather than having the above mentioned offices return an application to the Board Chairman, they would return it to the Planning Department, since the department serves as staff to the Board. Upon receipt, the application would then be placed on the next agenda of the Board for consideration.] 3. Within 60 days of receipt of the findings of the orange Count Tax Supervisor and soil_Conservation offices, the Board will reader a decision regarding the application of qualifying farmland status, and if--applicable, prepare_ a. recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners regarding the establishment of a voluntary agricultural district. The Chairman will notify the applicant by mail of the Board's decision as to whether the real property for which certification is sought satisfies the criteria established in