Agenda - Council - 05/13/1980 - Laserfiche WebLink

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METROPOLITAN COUNCIL Suite 300 Metro Square Building, St. Paul, Minnesota 55101 MEMORANDUM April 21, 1980 SUBJECT: METROPOLITAN AGRICULTURAL PRESERVES ACT - SUMMARY The Act is based on recommendations from the Rural Area Task Force to the Metropolitan Council in December 1978. The 'Act provides a package of benefits to enable farmers near urban areas who want to continue farming to do so on an equal footing with farmers 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 i~ farm use. Farmland in agricultural preserves Would be taxed according to its agricultural use 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 regulations that interfere with normal farm practices. Land could not be annexed to a municipality without certain conditions being met. State agencies would be directed to presume in favor of agricul- tural 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 ownership. Land could be bought and sold as farmland with no penalties. To be eligible for designation as an agricultural preserve, Metro- politan 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 establish- ing an agricultural preserve for the land.' The land must be kept inn farm use for a minimum of eight years and must be farmed according to good conservation practices. JS:emp EP3201