|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
November 10, 2003Fight for farmland hits hard in walletsSome say taxes wouldn't be spread fairlyByRecord-Eagle staff writer LELAND - A heated debate is sweeping Leelanau County over whether residents should be taxed to preserve farmland. Most agree something should be done to help farmers retain their land, but not everyone agrees on who should pay for it or even how to decide. "This is a very complicated thing," said Larry Mawby, chairman of the Leelanau County Farmland Preservation Board. Last year, the county commission adopted a purchase-of-development rights program that allows farmers to own and use their land after selling the right to develop it to the county. The Farmland Preservation Board was asked to look at ways to fund the program and came up with a request for 0.75 of a mill for 15 years. In September, county commissioners voted 4-3 against putting the request on the ballot Many residents, including Leelanau Citizens for Farmland Preservation, continue to push for a referendum. The citizens group says the millage is the only way to start the program designed to protect land from sprawl and support farmers who contribute $50 million each year to the county economy. Over the last decade, 2,400 news homes have been built on 7,800 acres in the county, according to the Leelanau Agriculture Alliance. Don Gregory, president and part owner of Cherry Bay Orchards in Suttons Bay and member of the Farmland Preservation Board, says a well-funded program could help control the soaring price of agricultural land. "We can no longer afford to buy land in Leelanau County and compete with other operations," he said. But Lake Leelanau strawberry farmer Bruce Price disagrees with Gregory and the tax plan. "Good prices for farm products is what keeps people farming," he said. "I'm not against farmland preservation but let the rich people pay or the ones who believe in it. I'm against a tax on the rest of us." Melinda Lautner is one of four county commissioners to vote against the millage proposal. "To tax one farmer to buy out another farm he's basically in competition with does not make any sense," she said. Lautner owns almost 400 acres in Leelanau and Grand Traverse counties where her family raises beef cattle, feed crops and cherries. While the average Leelanau resident would pay $51 each year for the tax, she said she would end up paying over $4,000. "I'm not going to have this extra money to pay for this millage," she said. "And if I did I would be investing it back into my farm." But Mawby, also president of the Suttons Bay village board, says it's an investment for the good of the entire community. He doesn't plan to enter the program with his 32-acre vineyard or additional 160 acres of family farmland. "A small amount of money invested today will mean lower costs in the long run for county services," he said. "As development gets denser, millages get higher." A similar tax plan to preserve farmland was approved by voters in Grand Traverse County's Peninsula Township in 1994 and last year was increased to 2 mills until 2023. Peninsula supervisor Rob Manigold said fear about the cost of sprawl led officials there to pitch the millage to voters. "We're about the same size as Manhattan and we could be there," he said. "Scenic views, shoreline and the ambiance of a farming community, that's what they're spending money on." Lautner said Leelanau residents are concerned about the same appearances. "This isn't about preserving farmland," she said. "It's about stopping development and preserving open space or 'view sheds.' This isn't going to even slow down development, it's only going to shift it."
|
|
