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Cleveland County creates conservation easement trust fund to support farmland preservation
Summary
The Cleveland County Board of Commissioners approved a new local conservation easement trust fund to help farmland owners compete for state preservation grants. The program would be seeded with $100,000 and capped at $50,000 annually from present-use value proceeds; enrollment is voluntary and easements are perpetual.
The Cleveland County Board of Commissioners voted to establish a local conservation easement trust fund designed to help local landowners secure state preservation grants and preserve farmland.
County staff presented the proposal July 2025 and described the fund as a local funding vehicle to complement the state Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation (ADFP) program. David Cotton, a county staff member who presented the item, said the proposal would seed the fund with $100,000 and set an annual cap of $50,000 drawn from properties exiting present-use value status. “For this cycle of applications, they have 115 applications statewide, and they only have the money to fund 5 of those applications,” Cotton said, arguing local matching funds could improve Cleveland County applicants’ competitiveness.
The plan drew questions about how easements affect property use and taxes. Cotton said conservation easements acquired through land conservancies carry restrictions “for perpetuity,” and that those restrictions are set when an owner signs an easement and must be planned in advance. He also clarified that placing a property under a conservation easement is an owner’s choice and “not being driven by the county.”
A commissioner moved to approve the program; another commissioner seconded the motion. The board voted in favor; the chair announced “Motion carries, a 100%.”
The trust fund is intended primarily to offset local costs and help applicants rank higher for limited state ADFP grants; officials said the fund is not itself expected to fully purchase easements. County staff said most of the funding for easements typically comes from the state program, and local contributions would be used as matching or supplemental funds when landowners apply. The proposal received stated support from the North Carolina Farm Bureau and Cooperative Extension as part of the ag advisory board recommendation.
Officials stressed procedural limits: owners must voluntarily enroll and the easement restrictions remain in place after transfer of ownership. The board provided no specific timetable for implementation beyond approving the program concept and funding cap.
The board moved next items after the vote; staff said additional technical questions could be addressed by Jamie Bridges, who was present to provide technical information.
