Scott County staff outlines farmland preservation options; court to send proposals to planning commission

Scott County planning staff summarized the results of an outreach effort with agricultural stakeholders and presented a package of land-use and fiscal-policy recommendations the fiscal court can forward to the planning commission for formal review.

Why it matters: County staff reported an increase in small land divisions — particularly five-acre tracts — across Scott County and said those divisions are changing land-use patterns in agricultural areas. Staff and stakeholders discussed policy tools to preserve prime farmland and rural character while accommodating growth.

What staff presented. Staff member Holden Fleming said the outreach began in October and that mapping work shows ‘‘on parcels greater than 50 acres between 2010 and 2024 we lost 50 what we call large parcels.’’ He showed separate maps of five-acre divisions, prime farmland soils, and the county’s future land-use designations to illustrate where agricultural land conversion is concentrated. Fleming said the county has set aside $500,000 in this year’s budget for a purchase of…