KANE COUNTY, Ill. — Kane County staff asked the county's Agriculture Committee on July 17 to authorize research into potential local funding sources for farmland protection and the Growing for Kane program, and committee members gave consensus to begin that work.

Janice Hill, a consultant working with county farmland protection programs, told the committee she attended an American Farmland Trust conference and outlined funding approaches used elsewhere. "My recommendation to you and my ask to you is for consensus to be able to pursue looking at these options for Kane County so that we can expand our funding streams to support farmland protection for the coming years," Hill said.

Hill said current funding sources, including the county's riverboat funds, are shrinking and recommended staff examine options such as an added recording fee, a real-estate transfer tax, mitigation fees applied when land changes use, specialty license-plate fees and other locally controlled charges. She also said the county ordinances that enable farmland protection and Growing for Kane already include a funding component that staff will review.

Committee member Jared said, "At least from my perspective, we should move in that direction," and recommended staff investigate whether Kane County's home-rule status affects available options. Phil Roth asked for clarification about how unique Kane County's program is; Hill replied the county is notable in the Corn Belt for running a county-level farmland protection program without a state program backing it.

Hill outlined next steps the committee would expect if research proceeds: staff and consultants would examine legal authority and ordinance language, coordinate with county finance and recorder offices about fee mechanics, and return to the committee with a report; if recommended implementation follows, she suggested a joint meeting with the county finance committee and potentially pursuing implementation in 2026.

The committee did not adopt an ordinance or set a fee at the July 17 meeting; the recorded outcome was direction to staff to research and report back. Hill said funds collected under a new fee structure would be intended to support Fund 430 (farmland protection) and Fund 435 (Growing for Kane) exclusively, and not to replace departments' operational funds.

Background: Hill also reviewed program history and national context, noting Kane County's farmland protection program traces to 2002 and that American Farmland Trust data show widespread use of easements and state programs across the country. She referenced partner organizations working on soils and economic-outcomes analyses, including the Delta Institute.

What's next: Staff and consultants will begin the research Hill described; the committee asked that the Farm Bureau and other partners be included in outreach and that any recommended fee not undermine partner operations. The committee indicated general support for the research but made no binding decision at the meeting.