Last week the Board of Supervisors approved a one-time reserve of almost $5 million for farmland preservation. Although this $5 million may be reduced in the coming fiscal year to pay for other financial needs, this is still an important step forward. Please thank the Supervisors for approving this one-time funding to protect our county’s farmland by using the email form below.

What’s Happening

On May 30, we let you know that the Board of Supervisors requested options to fund farmland preservation.

Last week during the final budget hearings, the Board approved a one-time reserve for agricultural conservation easements in the amount of nearly $5 million by taking this amount from the existing Reserve for Economic Uncertainties. However, the funds will not be available until January 2020 to ensure that the County has adequate reserves to deal with any economic uncertainties.

While we are pleased that some funds have been approved for farmland preservation, this is only a one-time allocation with contingencies attached that may reduce or eliminate the funding. It is also a far cry from the $20 million a year over 25 years recommended by the Agricultural Preservation Task Force to help preserve the approximately 12,000 acres of agricultural land most vulnerable to development.  

What’s Next

We have called on the Board of Supervisors to continue the task of identifying a local reliable funding source to meet the Agricultural Preservation Task Force’s recommendation and preserve our farmland most at-risk of development. We will keep you informed of opportunities to further voice your support for the Supervisors to complete this critical task.