CEAMinutes2023September28
MEETING MINUTES
OF THE
FREDERICK COUNTY CONSERVATION EASEMENT AUTHORITY
Held in the Planning Department Conference Room of the Frederick County Administration
Building at 107 North Kent Street in Winchester, Virginia on September 28, 2023.
PRESENT: Diane Kearns, Chairman; Todd Lodge, Vice-Chairman; Patricia Scheulen-Ferrell,
Ryan Dougall, Charles Triplett, Planning Commission Liaison; and Judith McCann-Slaughter,
Board of Supervisor Liaison
ABSENT: Elaine Cain, Treasurer, Lowell Henderson and Philip Haines,
STAFF PRESENT: John Bishop, Assistant Planning Director and Pam Deeter.
OTHER: Kathy Baker, Stafford County
PUBLIC MEETING
Welcome and Introduction
The meeting was called to order by the Chairman Kearns at 9:00 a.m. and she determined there
was a quorum.
On a motion made by Mr. Lodge and seconded by Mrs. McCann-Slaughter, the minutes for the
May 25, 2023, meeting were unanimously approved as presented.
Ms. Kathy Baker of Stafford County give a presentation on Purchase of Development Rights
Program (PDR). Stafford County offers a voluntary PDR program and that is where the County
pays landowners to preserve the land from residential development. The Property owner can live
on the property or could create another parcel to reside on. Property owners can also continue to
operate the farm. They can maintain ownership of parcel. The County places an easement on the
parcel, and if the property owner wants to sell property the easement will remain.
The County looks outside of the Urban Development Area for PDR’s. Since the parcel is outside
the UDA, the impacts on services such as water & sewer, fire & rescue, bus transportation and
utilities are a minimum. There are incentives to the PDR program such as state tax credit and
federal tax deduction in which the landowner would need a tax attorney.
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Stafford County rollback taxes fund the PDR program. The funded money is determined each
year by the rollback tax program and then allocated for the PDRs. Matching funds are sought
from outside sources because the Board only allows 50% of the amount. Stafford County has 12
parcels, approximately a little over 1,200 acres. The Board will hold the easement. The Board of
Supervisors can change the PDR program if needed but the easements would remain on the
parcels. Ms. Baker informed the Committee as to criteria for applying for a PDR. Once the
Applicant meets the criteria, the property is appraised and then processed through a ranking
system.
Discussion
Chairman Kearns asked if the PDR program is something the Committee would like to pursue
and expand the opportunities to preserve land. There was an agreement. Mrs. McCann-Slaughter
suggested that the Committee have a plan. She can approach the Board when it meets in
November to start on the budget for the following year.
A Board Liaison mentioned at the approval of the solar projects in the citing agreement some
money was set aside for other projects. The citing agreement would need to be reviewed.
A draft plan for PDR will be presented at the next meeting on October 26, 2023. A suggestion
was maybe a presentation from Clarke County and Albemarle County to see how their programs
work.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:55 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
____________________________
Diane Kearns, Chairman
______________________________
John A. Bishop, CEA Secretary
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