Committee continues working to increase farming rights

NORTH EAST — The Farmland Protection Committee met Wednesday, Jan. 14, at the North East Community Center (NECC) and continued its discussion of possible tools to achieve the committee’s goals, which include protecting farmland and ensuring a future for productive agriculture in the area.

The purchase of development rights was brought up. Harry Baldwin, chairman of the Dutchess County Farmland Protection Board, said at the meeting that the right to full taxation is a problem.

While farmers may receive money in return for selling their development rights, their property remains on the tax roll and they are subject to property taxes just like anyone else. However, once they sell their rights, there is a permanent restriction placed on the deed that preserves the land for agricultural use only. A farmer would then only be able to sell the land to another farmer.

Lynn Mordas, chair of the Farmland Protection Committee, said she was in favor of lowering the assessed value of agricultural land.

"When they sell the development rights, they’re not getting a quarter of what they’d get if they sold to a developer," she explained. "It’s a major commitment for families to do."

Term easements, on the other hand, are an advantage that smaller farms can utilize. When farmers don’t own enough acreage to qualify for an agricultural tax exemption, they can put a temporary restriction on their deed. The longer the restriction, the greater the tax reduction.

Another committee goal is to develop certain property tax reduction programs. While some already exist at the state level, Mordas argued that the town needs to be more proactive about letting residents know about them, and she asked that assessors be trained more aggressively. She said there was significant controversy when the last revaluations were done over whether certain properties were considered agricultural or not.

Incentive zoning was discussed at length. It was argued that if a large developer were to come into town looking to develop a piece of property, the town should charge them a fee that would be put into a community preservation fund.

"I certainly think it’s appropriate," Mordas said. "Often developers are looking for a break from the town, and I think just the opposite. As you develop lands, you’re increasing the cost of services in the town. That’s something the rest of the town shouldn’t be asked to fork over.

"Cows don’t go to school, and they don’t need fire protection. When you preserve a farm, you’re basically saving dollars for the taxpayer."

The committee is also looking to support economic opportunities for farms and businesses that complement agriculture. The group argues that if the special use permit process for farmers was made easier and cheaper, including application fee reductions, it would make sustaining the farm easier on the farmer. Simpler application processes for alternative energy farming, such as solar panels on greenhouses, would be another way to support the future of agriculture.

As more meetings are held, the committee is looking toward a solution that will eventually become part of the town code. They feel all residents should be involved with the process.

"It will be something we will work very hard to make sure people are aware of," Mordas said. "Agriculture is a huge part of what this community is about now. People enjoy open spaces and the crops that are produced here. The community needs to work to help make sure the farms here will remain sustainable. It’s a question of what kind of community people want."

The next Farmland Protection Committee meeting will be held Wednesday, Feb. 11, at 7 p.m. at NECC, located on South Center Street in the village of Millerton.