Agenda - Council - 11/13/1979 - Laserfiche WebLink

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PROPOSED MINNESOTA AGRICULTURAL PRESERVES ACT A Metropolitan Council Staff Paper H.F. 1612 Authors: S.F. 1597 Authors: Schreiber, Levi, Vanasek, Sviggum, McEachern Sikorski, Purfeerst I NTRODUCTI ON The companion bills H.F. 1612 and S.F. 1597, Minnesota Agricultural Preserves Act, were introduced in the Minnesota House and Senate during the 1979 legis- lative session and could be considered during the 1980 session. The bills are based on recommendations from the Rural Area Task Force to the Metropolitan Council in December 1978. Council members will hold public meetings in their districts during November 1979 to obtain input from farmers and other citizens and to encourage support for agricultural preserves. The bills propose that a package of benefits be offered to enable farmers near urban areas who want to continue farming to do so on an equal footing with far- mers not affected by urban pressures. The intent is to allow farmers to make long-term agricultural investments with the assurance that their land would continue in farm use. Farmland in agricultural preserves would be taxed according .to its agricultural capability rather than market value,-and mill rates would be reduced to a level comparable to outstate agricultural areas. Special assessments for urban sewer and water systems would be prohibited. Limits would be placed on local and state regulations that interfere with normal farm practices. State agencies would be directed to presume in favor of agricultural preserves. Eminent domain'actions would be required to show that no reasonable alternative to the proposed land taking exists. The agricultural preserve designation would run with the land with no limitation on ownePship. Land could be bought and sold as farmland with no penalities. To be eligible for designation as an agricultural preserve, Metropolitan Area farmland would have to be planned and zoned for long-term agriculture. To obtain the designation, any owner of 40 acres or more of such farmland would sign an agreement establishing an agricultural preserve for the land. A summary of provisions in each section of the bills follows. A copy of the entire bill(s) is provided in the Appendix. SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS SECTION 1. (Statement of Policy and Purpose) Establishes state policy for preserving farmland. See text.