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CEA_11-17-11_Meeting_AgendaTO: Conservation EasementAuthority FROM: EricR. Lawrence, CEASecretary SUBJECT: NovemberMeeting DATE: November 8, 2011 ERL /bad AGENDA Frederick County ConservationEasementAuthority MEMORANDUM TheFrederick CountyConservationEasementAuthoritywillbemeetingonThursday, November17, 2011at8:00a.m. intheBoardofSupervisor'sExecutiveSessionMeetingRoom intheCounty Administration Building, 107NorthKentStreet, Winchester, Virginia. The ConservationEasement Authority willdiscussthefollowingagendaitems: 1. September22, 2011MeetingMinutes 2. UpdateonShenandoahCountyconservationeasementeffortsBernardGriswold 3. Fundraising Efforts a. www.G1FT.orgGive $1forFrederick'sTomorrow b. Establishing matchingfundsource 4. MapdepictingpreservedlandinFrederickCounty 5. CEAMembership 6. Nextmeetingdate (December22, 2011) 7. Other Pleasecontact thePlanning Department (540- 665 -5651) ifyouareunabletoattendthis meeting. C/OFrederickCountyPlanningDepartment, 107NorthKentStreet, Winchester, VA22601 (540- 665 -5651) MEETINGMINUTES OFTHE FREDERICKCOUNTY CONSERVATION EASEMENTAUTHORITY HeldintheExecutive SessionRoomoftheFrederickCountyAdministrationBuilding at107North KentStreetinWinchester, VirginiaonSeptember22, 2011at8:00a.m. PRESENT: DianeKearns, Chairman; ElaineCain, Treasurer; RonClevenger; GeneFisher, Boardof SupervisorsLiaison; andCharlesTriplett, Planning Commission Liaison. ABSENT: ToddLodge; RobertSolenberger; andJohnMarkers STAFFPRESENT: Candice E. Perkins, Senior Planner; :andBevDellinger, Secretary.. III. OTHER: Ellen Murphy, Commissioner oftheRevenue:' PUBLICMEETING: 1. June23, 2011MeetingMinutes OnamotionbyMs. Cainandsecondedby:, Clevenger, theminutesofJune23, 2011were approved. 2. Fundraising Efforts a. www.GIFT. org— GiveFrederick's;_Tomorrow Chairman Kearns doesn'thaveanythingnewto' report onGIFT. b. Establishing matching fundsource c. HillHighFarmConservation Easement- effort ChairmanKearnsreported -thatthegrantapplication submittedtoVirginiaLandConservation FundforHillHighwasnotapproved Ms. Perkinsstatedtherewasapproximatelytwoandone halfmilliondollars fortheentiregrant, whichwasbrokenupintohistoric. openspaceand differentothercategories. Thefarmlandsectionofthegrantmoneyseemstogettheleast amount -therewasanapproximateamount of $450,000.00forthisallocation. Clarke received funding fortwoapplicationsandShenandoahreceived fundingforone; therewereonlyfour applications thatreceived fundingoutofthatallocation. Therewereatotalofeightapplications inthefarmlandsectionandFrederickCountyranked seventh. 3. OtherConservationEasement Interests ChairmanKearnsstatedtherehavebeenarticlesaboutShenandoah CountyinTheDaily newspaper. OneofthearticlessaidthatShenandoahCountywascontemplating using roll -back taxestofundtheirEasementAuthority. Chairman Kearns' takeonthisisthattheirBoardof Supervisors votedtosetaside $100,000fromroll -backtaxesfortheuseoftheirEasement Authorityforoneyear. Conservation Easement Authority Page163 September 22, 2011 ChairmanKearnsfeelsifit'sappropriate, itmaybetimetolookattheroll -backtaxes tosee whatthedollaramountactuallyis. Chairman Kearnsalsofeelsthataswemoveforward and lookforafunding source. weshouldhaveacleardefinition ofwhatwe'regoingtousethe funding for. Weshould startwiththatandunderstandwhatwewanttousethefundingforand thatwould decidehowmuchtheConservationEasement willneedtorequest. Ms. Murphystatedthatthenumberfluctuatessogreatlybecauseinthelastyearortwo, there hasn'tbeenanydevelopment sotherehasn'tbeentheroll -back. Chairman KearnscontinuedthatMr. Lawrence hadmentioned to; herinane -mailtheTransfer of DevelopmentRights Program. People whowantedtheComprehensive Planrevisions looked overtheTDRordinancesandthoughtthere couldbesomepotential. taxcorningoutofthat. Ms. Murphysaidthatismorejustbetweenthefarmer andthedeveloper /purchaser; theCountywon't generate anytaxrevenue from thatMs. Perkins statedonlytaxesthatwouldprobably come outofthatisifafarmersevered hisrightsandthensoldthemtosomeonewho, heldontothem. Thatwouldcomeunderthefairmarketvalue ,taxation. Ms'.- addedthatthoserightsare taxed untiltheyareidentifiedwithaproperty. Thereisasection ofcode, 1522316.2, thatsays howthatistaxed. Chairman Kearnsasked, ifapieceofpropertyhasbeenidentified asa receivingproperty, cantherights beseveredandattached' toadifferentpiece ofproperty. Ms. Perkinsrespondedno. theycannot.' ,Oncetherightsare-separatedfromaruralproperty, they cannot bere- attachedtothatruralproperty:, Once they'retransferred ontoareceivingparcel, whichwouldbeintheUDA, youcan't-separate rightsfromparcelsintheUDA. Chairman Kearns askedmembersiftheybelieve wewant; orneedafunding source; whatarewe goingtouseitforMs. Perkinssaidifweyhad' localfunds,rthatwould countforagoodnumber ofadditional pointswheriweapplyforagrant. Mr. Clevengerstateditseems thatwedoneed localmoneyjusttobecompetitive. Ms. Cainasked ifwecould addaCEAdonationboxforpeople whopaytheirtaxesonline. Ms. Murphystatedthatwouldtakesomedetailedprogramming, andsheisn'tsurehowlongitwould taketogetitonline. Chairman Kearns statedthattheCEA canaskstafftolookatroll -backtaxestogetsome numbers, maybeoverthelasttenyears. Ms. MurphysaidshecoulddothatandsendittoMr. Lawrence:. ChairmanKearnsaskedMs. Cainifshewouldbewillingtomeetwithher, maybe sometimethiswinter, tofigureoutagameplanonmoving theGIFTprogramforward, andMs. Cainresponded shewould. Chairman Kearnsstatedthatshehasn'thadanymorecontactwiththecitizenlivinginthe DoubleTollgateareawhowasinterested inplacinganeasementonherproperty. Conservation EasementAuthority Page164 September 22, 2011 5. CEAMembership Chairman KearnsstatedthatweneedtofillMr. WilkinsvacancyontheCFA. Sheaskedfor ideasonwhotocontact. Severalnameswerebroughtup. ChairmanKearnssaidshe'dputsome feelers outtosome ofthepeople whowerementioned. 6. NextMeetingDate October27, 2011at8:00AM. 7. Other Therebeingnofurtherbusiness, themeeting adjournedat8:35a.m. Respectfullysubmitted, Diane Kearns, Chairman CandiceE. Perkins, SeniorPlanner Conservation EasementAuthority Page165 September 22, 2011