News Article

Date: June 5, 2006
Journal Sentinel

Farmland development fees face another vote

Washington County supervisors are again considering a county program that would preserve large blocks of agricultural acres for future generations by paying a fee to landowners who agree not to sell their properties to developers.

Although the County Board agreed to establish the program in March on a 17-11 vote, Supervisor Tom Sackett of Hartford was elected board chairman in April, and he likely will ask supervisors to vote on the program's fate at a June 13 meeting.

Nine new supervisors took seats on the 30-member board in April, and Sackett said they should have an opportunity to vote on such a costly new program.

The board's Planning, Conservation and Parks Committee will meet Wednesday to discuss the merits and potential negative consequences of purchasing development rights. The committee will be asked at that time to recommend to the board whether the program should move forward or be discontinued, Sackett said.

Washington County would be the first county in Wisconsin to establish a purchase of development rights program if the board this month reaffirms its March vote.

Sackett said the costly effort to preserve productive farmland would be more attractive to him if there were a companion state program to help counties pay the costs.

In such a program, the county would pay willing landowners the difference between the price that a developer might pay for a property and its estimated value if sold as agricultural land. That amount is equal to the value of a property's development right