Orange County NC Website
ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: April 17, 2000 <br />Action Agend <br />Item No. ~_ <br />SUBJECT: Revisions to the Voluntary Farmland Preservation Program (VFPP) Ordinance <br />DEPARTMENT: Environment and Resource PUBLIC HEARING: (YIN) No <br />Conservation <br />ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Revised VFPP Ordinance (4/3/00) Dave Stancil, 245-2590 <br />TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br />Hillsborough 732-8181 <br />Chapel Hill 968-4501 <br />Durham 688-7331 <br />Mebane 336-227-2031 <br />PURPOSE: To consider revisions to the County's Voluntary Farmland Preservation Program <br />Ordinance to address a name change and expansion of the Board's makeup and scope. <br />BACKGROUND: On June 1, 1999, the Board first considered revisions to this ordinance <br />submitted by the Agricultural Districts Advisory Board (ADAB). The proposed revisions <br />centered around changing the name of the ADAB to the Agricultural Preservation Board (APB) <br />to reflect a broader mission and charge to the group consistent with the BOCC goal and the Ag <br />Board's relationship with the County ERCD and the Federal Natural Resource Conservation <br />Service. At that time, the Board of Commissioners suggested additional changes be addressed <br />to broaden the makeup of the Board to include members in non-traditional farming and a <br />representative of farmer's markets. On February 1, 2000, the Board suggested additional <br />changes regarding appointments that have been incorporated into the new draft. <br />In reviewing these changes, additional issues arose related to the definition of Voluntary <br />Agricultural Districts and membership requirements in the state statutes. <br />The April 3 draft would expand the membership of the APB from the current seven members to <br />seven at-large members appointed by the BOCC plus a seat for a representative of each <br />Voluntary Agricultural District (as required by state statute). There are currently five <br />Voluntary Agricultural Districts, and three of those are represented on the existing Board. The <br />specific interest group seats in previous drafts have been deleted in favor of an at-large <br />approach. Finally, language on the method of recommending appointments has been clarified. <br />The intent of the increase in Board membership is to allow new appointments from non- <br />traditional farming activities such as organic farming and other farm-related activities. This will <br />assist the Board in pursuing the "A New Consensus for Farmland" goal. The name changes and <br />other non-substantive revisions are consistent with the previous version. <br />