Published: October 09, 2008 04:46 pm         

ALBION: Protection Board asks for 20 percent matching cash grant

The Orleans County Farmland Protection Board is asking the county Legislature to OK money to participate in the Farmland Protection Plan. A proposal has been on the drawing boards for the past few years, but the money and timing were never right, due to the requirement for a 20 percent matching cash grant from the county, in order to apply for a state grant.

“What is being proposed here is nothing new,” said county Legislator William Eick. “But it’s an ongoing topic, and every year it’s, ‘Is there money to go ahead with the project?’ I think if we would have done it 10 years ago, we would have been in better shape. But who knows when the best time is? I think it is a very worthwhile grant to go after.”

The Orleans County Farmland Protection Board is a county board, paid for by the Legislature. The board’s purpose is to oversee the preservation of agriculture and farmland through economic enhancements and development. The state offers a grant program for counties to develop a farmland protection plan.

According to Farmland Protection Board member Barry Flansburg, for years they have wanted to create a plan, but the 20 percent matching cash grant has stopped them from applying because they do not have a budget.

“What a plan does is provide a comprehensive survey of the current state of ag and farm land in the county,” Flansburg said.

He also said that the plan provides an assessment of what the economic development opportunities are in the agricultural industries and is a way to determine how the county will take advantage of agricultural opportunities.

“Given the fact the Orleans County is an agricultural county, I think it’s basic and important that we have an understanding of farmland protection and a plan in place,” said Legislator David Callard. “I would encourage the Legislature to provide $10,000 toward the end of the year, so we can begin this process. I think it is vitally important.”

Legislator Gary Kent showed concerns about the proposal and asked what the minimum amount needed was to start this process. Though a minimum couldn’t be established, Farmland Protection Board members said that Genesee County used $80,000 to start its plan 10 year ago. The board believed it would need between $40,000 and $50,000. This means that with the state grant, between $7,000 and $10,000 would be needed from the Legislature. The money would help pay for a consultant who has an economic background, to create the plan.

In other news:

n Legislator Lynne Johnson commended Genesee County for adopting a resolution to collaborate with Orleans County on the possibility of a regional jail.

“That is where we need to go,” Johnson said. “There is no question that these rural counties can’t afford multi-million dollar jails by themselves. Genesee County did a very good thing here in jumping on that with us.”