OF INTEREST: The Southern Environmental Law Center has just released an excellent report on Sprawl in Virginia. You can access the report via Rural Nelson's website - Other Documents - or at http://www.selcva.org/act_sprawl.shtml. We are working to get a copy of the report for the office. UPCOMING: - Tuesday, July 9 BOARD OF SUPERVISORS 2:00/7:30pm Courthouse - Thursday, July 11 INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY 4:00pm Courthouse ----------------------------------------------------------------------- MINUTES: RURAL NELSON MEETING TUESDAY, JULY 2ND, 2002 RURAL NELSON OFFICE NEXT MEETING: AUGUST 13TH BOARD OF SUPERVISORS PUBLIC HEARING ON THE COMP PLAN: MEET 6:30 P.M. AT THE OFFICE Al opened the meeting at 7:30 p.m. and the usual introductions were made. Al then introduced Sherry Buttrick of the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, a state agency that was created to hold conservation easements. Sherry said that she would assume that we knew the basics of easements from the last time she spoke, and would build on that. Virginia is under a big threat from development, but is in the forefront of states in offering good tax incentives to landowners to put land in easement. We have more easements than any other state, although we are beaten in the amount of land held by the western states. Virginia has 200,000 acres under easement currently, with apx. 20,000 acres being added a year. The federal incentives are fairly good as well. The landowner who gives a conservation easement gets a reduction on their income tax that is based on the reduction of the value of their land as a result of putting an easement on it. The Farm and Ranch Protection Act allows an estate tax exclusion of up to 40% for family farms and ranches with land under easement in order to allow their properties to remain in the family. This law was passed in 1997, and is being used for estate planning purposes. Virginia in 1999 passed the Conservation Incentives Act which allows you to get a tax credit, instead of a reduction, for land given in easement. The landowner can get no more credit than he has tax liability. This is a great benefit for moderate-scale family farms, and has proved to be more of an incentive than anyone had any idea it would be. It has a real dollar benefit. Its only limitation is that you have to owe a certain amount of state tax to make it worthwhile. The next thing to come along is the transfer of tax credit for a conservation easement. The new law, passed this year, allows you to package up and sell the tax credit you have. There are still some questions about the law, as some of the wording is ambiguous. It will apply to easements given in 2002, Sherry thinks. Credit pools are forming that will match sellers to buyers, for a fee. Sometimes it can be used as a tool for local leaders to encourage others in their community to put land in easement, giving away the tax credit they have earned for easements already given. It is a fascinating new tool that will open up many opportunities not even thought of yet. It is very much like a purchase of development rights program in intent. Sherry pointed out the importance of having appraisals done by an experienced person well versed in local land values, so that the assessment will hold up if you happen to be audited by the IRS. At the moment there is no state money for anything, although a pool for conservation funding has been created. There is also a new check off box on your car registration form for donating a voluntary $2 for conservation funding. The Virginia Land Conservation Foundation has been created, and it can purchase historic properties or land needed for conservation. This foundation has a pass through to get funds into an Open Space Land Trust Fund. It can be an important tool in a locality where there is a special piece of property owned by a family who cannot afford to put the land in easement. Seemingly improbable deals can be made to work, through gifts from the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation. One of the last dairy farms in Fauquier County was preserved in this way. Albemarle has the ACE Program for the Acquisition of Conservation Easements. Sherry currently chairs this program as a volunteer. She asked if our Comp Plan adequately reflects the kinds of resources that Nelson County wants to preserve, since public easements need to benefit the public. The Comp Plan should be specific about the areas that are important to the county. The ACE Program experience shows how long the planning and zoning processes take. Albemarle funds ACE to the tune of a million dollars a year. Al asked about whether or not the new Federal Agriculture Bill will produce funds for purchase of development rights. Sherry said that her understanding was that it would produce such funds. She cautioned that it is very confusing, particularly a document called the Cooperative Agreement. However it is a big pot of money and it is available. Sherry explained the concept of a revolving fund, which PEC has for Albemarle County thanks to several neighbors who saved a piece of property that was coming up for sale by raising the difference between what the property would sell for with and without an easement on it. PEC had the ability to buy the land thanks to a person who agreed to guarantee that they not lose on the deal. Now the funds are sufficient so that such a guarantor is no longer needed. Al thanked Sherry for her presentation and we had a ten-minute break before continuing with the rest of the meeting. (NOTE: For more information on easements, contact Sherry Buttrick at 434.293.3423 or vofsherryb@aol.com) Joyce Burton gave the Treasurer's Report. Income to date is $11,635, expenses are $9,099, and our book balance is $11,464. As far as fund raising goes, we are still waiting to get our own 501(C3) designation, which should be coming through in the next few weeks. Al mentioned that the new owners of the Rodes Farm Inn are interested in getting advertisements out about the inn. There may be a way to work out an agreement with them to stage an event that highlights both Rural Nelson and the Rodes Farm Inn. Volunteers are needed to be at the Farmers' Market to man the Rural Nelson table on August 24th. Al thanked all those who worked at the Nelson County Summer Festival including Mary Buford Hitz, Marcia Bell, Mike Craig, Jessie Smart, Catherine Campbell, Uri Levi, Mark Heinicke and Penny Geelan. We are getting names of those interested and building our email list. Uri Levi and Al went to a Canaan Valley Institute Conference on conservation design tools. The institute has to give EPA money away, and is working with many organizations such as ours. Uri and Al came away with an idea about getting our tax maps digitized. One of their staff members gave a good presentation on how useful GIS maps are in conservation planning. Canaan Valley Institute has now realized how important this is, and is sending a group down to Nelson to see if they can help fund what we need. They only give grants of $5,000 at a time, but they might be willing to give several grants over the course of several years to allow us to build a GIS mapping system that would be available to any member of the county who had a question about land issues. The Board of Supervisors' Public Hearing on the Comp Plan is scheduled for Tuesday, August 13th at 7:30 p.m. The next Rural Nelson meeting will be that night at 6:30 at our offices, in order to have a little social time before going up to the courthouse to attend the meeting. Mike announced that a group interested in the future of Lovingston is getting started informally and unofficially. The meeting will be Monday, July 15th at Rapunzel's at 7:30 p.m. The aim is to key into the Comp Plan ideas for a rural town, and perhaps do some beautification projects. 2007 is the 200th anniversary of Lovingston. The Design Ordinance Task Force will have a meeting Wednesday, July 31st at 6:00 p.m. at Rural Nelson's office. Volunteers are still needed for the task force. Sherry chaired a similar task force for Albemarle County, and said she would be willing to come back to talk to this group. Community support for the concept of a design ordinance is important. Dana Pauly had an announcement about a group marketing grant of $4,000 for helping Grown in Nelson growers. She is moving away, and up to now has been doing most of the work on the committee. She asked how the project would fit into Rural Nelson, and if we could help once she is gone. They need manpower to help with a questionnaire that is about to go out to farmers. If anyone knows someone interested in helping please call either Dana or Bo Holland at 263-8218. Al wondered whether this was a project another intern might be able to tackle. Respectfully Submitted, Mary Buford Hitz Secretary Rural Nelson, Inc. P. O. Box 401 (622 Front Street) Lovingston, VA 22949 434-263-5000 email: info@ruralnelson.org www.ruralnelson.org