Orange County NC Website
Nov. - Dec. 2000 Page 5 <br />farmland preservation report <br />etcetera ... <br />i <br />New funding, dwelling rule change in Ma. <br />Boston, MA —The Massachusetts legislature appropriated <br />$10 million to the Agricultural Restriction Program that will <br />"keep us going a year to a year and a half," said Rich Hub- <br />bard, assistant commissioner of state Department of Food <br />and Agriculture. The money is added to a recent $2 million <br />authorization. <br />The program, now in its 23rd year, has protected about <br />4,000 acres through bond funding and federal grants. <br />According to Hubbard, the program is in the midst of a rule <br />change that could grant one building right to existing pre- <br />served farms "as long as the program gets a first right of <br />refusal to the property. They could sell the lot for whatever <br />they want, but we would buy the land at agricultural value, <br />and all would be approved on a case by case basis." <br />Currently, new program enrollments are allowed no <br />residual development rights. <br />The rule change must go to public hearing and to the <br />legislature for approval. <br />Rich Hubbard, 617 626 -1704. <br />Delaware elects conservationists to top <br />posts <br />Dover, DE— While they lacked funding measures for land <br />protection, Delaware voters chose known conservationists <br />to be their governor and U.S. Senator. <br />Governor -elect Ruth Ann Minner was supported <br />strongly by open space and environmental interests she has <br />carried with her since her days in the state senate when she <br />initiated the first open space acquisition in the state, <br />according to Michael McGrath of the Delaware Agricultural <br />Lands Preservation Foundation. <br />"She devised and brokered a share of the open space <br />tax to go to farmland, and she is on record as supporting <br />farmland preservation," he said. "Her campaign record <br />shows an inclination to join together open space and <br />farmland protection." <br />The Delaware farmland protection program has been <br />searching for a more permanent funding source. <br />"People in farmland preservation are very pleased with <br />the outcome of the election," McGrath said. <br />In addition to electing a conservationist as governor, <br />Delaware sent its former conservation- minded governor to <br />the U.S. Senate. Tom Carper, U.S. Senator- elect, "will <br />benefit us ... he will go in with the idea [farmland preserva- <br />tion] was a winner in Delaware, that its something you can <br />look good with." <br />Mike McGrath, 302 739 -4811. <br />Local ballots, continued from page 4 <br />ures on the November ballot, five failed, and of <br />those five, three called for tax increases to fund <br />purchase of development rights in Teller, Grand <br />and Weld Counties. The Weld and Teller ballots <br />mentioned farmland specifically. <br />In South Carolina's Beaufort County, voters <br />approved a $40 million bond issue for open space <br />acquisition and purchase of development rights <br />on farmland, but just north in Charleston County, <br />full of tomato growers and other produce farms, a <br />sales tax initiative for open space and farmland <br />failed by just 800 votes, according to planner Dan <br />Pennick. "I'm sure it will reappear on the ballot. <br />It's encouraging that it did come that close." <br />In Wake County, North Carolina, voters <br />passed a $15 million bond for open space and <br />farmland, but it may be too little and way too late <br />in the fast - growing Research Triangle area where <br />land values are skyrocketing. No specific amount <br />is designated for farmland protection — it is just <br />"in the mix," said Rick Bailey, director of the <br />Wake County Soil and Water Conservation Dis- <br />trict. <br />In Michigan's Washtenaw County, voters <br />approved a dedicated property tax increase for <br />"acquisition of environmentally - valuable areas, to <br />preserve wildlife habitat, water quality and rec- <br />reation." Estimated revenue over 10 years is $25 <br />million. Two years ago, Washtenaw County was a <br />battleground leading up to election day when <br />development interests succeeded in crushing an <br />initiative that would have established a purchase <br />of development rights program for farmland and <br />a 0.4 mill property tax increase to fund it. <br />In Maryland, Baltimore County voters ap- <br />proved $10 million in bond issues for open space <br />and $2 million for farmland preservation. <br />In Montana, where a farmland preservation <br />program started last year with just $1 million, one <br />county, Gallatin, approved a $10 million bond <br />issue for land preservation. <br />In Wisconsin, which has no state purchase of <br />development rights program, Sheboygan County <br />voters passed an "advisory measure" to establish <br />please turn to page 6 <br />