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Supervisors discuss standardizing county approach to conservation easements
Summary
Coconino County staff presented a review of conservation easements on county and private lands and proposed tools including a guiding principles checklist and a county easement template to standardize when and how the county accepts or pursues easements.
The Board of Supervisors discussed a proposed framework Tuesday for how Coconino County should handle conservation easements — voluntary legal agreements that limit development to preserve habitat, open space and scenic views.
Parks and Recreation Director Cynthia Nemeth told the board easements currently come to the county in a piecemeal fashion and outlined possible tools to make the process more consistent, including a county easement template, guiding principles to help staff and commissioners determine whether to accept an easement, and a stewardship fee to pay for long‑term monitoring of easement conditions.
"A purpose of the conservation easement is a voluntary legally binding agreement between a land owner and a land trust," Nemeth said, adding that easements can protect wildlife habitat, scenic values and working lands but may reduce property tax revenue and require long‑term monitoring. County Attorney Bill Ring noted that state law allows local governments to hold easements and recommended standardizing the county’s acceptance process to reduce future management complexity and costs.
Nemeth and Ring reviewed the county’s current easement inventory, including multiple parcels tied to the Museum of Northern Arizona, Rogers Lake (Arizona State Parks) and private ranch easements, and touched on pending opportunities such as the Gonzales Ranch and a forest legacy project in Bull Basin. Nemeth said county staff have fielded multiple requests and sometimes negotiate assignments of easement deeds or donations in coordination with land trusts.
Supervisors generally supported returning with specific recommendations and a draft county easement template. Chair Patrice Horstman said a standardized policy would make it easier for landowners and county staff to understand expectations early in the process. "Let's us be the leader. Let's ... be the ones who are in charge of the process," Horstman said.
Staff said they will return with draft guiding principles and a proposed template for the board’s consideration and suggested including language that addresses tax‑revenue impacts, permitted uses and termination or assignment procedures.
No formal action was taken; supervisors asked staff to prepare concrete recommendations and return at a future meeting.
