APB agenda 092700 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

County may create agricultural districts fees for farmers in agricultural districts until those farmers connect to public lines. Those fees could amount to tens of thousands of dollars. County staff members are reviewing this part of the proposal. Now, the county requires homeowners in some cases to pay public water and sewer fees even if those owners don't want those services. t The commissioners have already approved a policy for rural northeast Guilford that requires land records to highlight properties that are next to active farms. The proposed law would be broader in scope, covering the whole county and focusing on farm preservation. At least 14 North Carolina counties -- including urban centers such as Durham, Forsyth and Wake -- have some type of farmland preservation program. Guilford County's plan has been at least three years in the making, led by Commissioner Phyllis Gibbs and Farm Bureau members such as Elaine Fryar. "I know what the farmers are up against," said Gibbs, who grew up on a tobacco farm and has represented a largely rural southern district for four years. "As hard as it is on them today, they don't need any extra aggravation." The commissioners will hold a hearing on the ag- district law Sept. 7. They will likely vote on it the same night. "I don't think this is a big problem now, but it's becoming a problem," said Bob Landreth, chairman of the commissioners and a cattle farmer. "People say, 'We don't want to smell a hog farm, we don't want to smell a chicken house, we don't want the noise or the dust that goes with farming.' This is about protection for them and the farmer, too." http: / /www .news- record.com/news /local /farms 17rlc.htm 0 3 J. I of 1 8/23/2000 8:31 AM