05/18/2006

Voters to decide on millage

Measure would help preserve county farmland

by christine finger

cfinger@record-eagle.com

LELAND — Leelanau County commissioners agreed to let voters decide on a new tax to fund farmland preservation, but debate over the measure is just starting to heat up.

Members of Save Leelanau Farmland Inc., a nonprofit citizens group, lobbied the county board to put a 15-year, 0.5 mill tax on the Nov. 7 election ballot.

Board members voted 4 to 3 this week to let voters decide whether they want to pay higher property taxes to help fund the county's purchase-of-development rights program.

George Wellman, president of Save Leelanau Farmland, called the board's decision a turning point for land use in Leelanau County.

"It will give the voters a chance to invest in our future prosperity and beauty and preserve our agricultural heritage," he said. "We know education is an important part of this effort.

The 0.5 mill levy equals 50 cents per $1,000 of taxable value and would raise about $998,300 during the first year. Wellman said proponents are confident voters will support the measure and estimated the new tax could preserve more than 2,900 acres of farmland during the next 15 years.

Pat Foster of Bingham Township supports farmland preservation, but opposes higher taxes to fund the effort. She advocated a shorter millage term to gauge whether enough farmers will want to sell their property development rights.

"There are other ways to do this," she said. "They don't know what the demand is going to be. Let's take this a little at a time."

But Wellman said preserving a significant amount of farmland will take more than a few years, and consistent local support is needed to gain state and federal grants.

"For a program like this, short term doesn't work very well," he said.

Commissioners Jean Watkoski, Mark Walter and Melinda Lautner opposed asking voters to decide the question. Those same board members also voted in 2003 against placing a similar measure on the ballot after the county's Farmland Preservation Board recommended a request for 0.75 of a mill for 15 years.

The county's purchase-of-development rights program dates to 2002, when Leelanau became the first county in the state to institute such a preservation ordinance. But the county has not purchased any development rights because the program lacks funding.