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Wayne County approves enhanced voluntary agricultural-district option; 10-year deed-based agreements authorized
Summary
The Board adopted an amendment allowing enhanced voluntary agricultural districts — 10-year deed restrictions to help preserve farmland — and described benefits including cost-share priority and grant consideration.
The Wayne County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 19 approved an amendment to Chapter 6, Article 2 of the Wayne County Code of Ordinances to add an "enhanced voluntary agricultural district" option.
Jennifer Johnson of the Wayne County Cooperative Extension Service told the board the enhanced option is a 10-year irrevocable agreement recorded on the deed to preserve farmland. She described benefits: participating farms may have up to 25 percent of gross sales from nonfarm products and receive priority for cost-share funds from Wayne County Soil and Water Conservation District and for certain grants and conservation-easement programs.
Why it matters: The enhanced designation is intended to help preserve productive farmland by giving participating owners program priorities and by providing a mechanism — an irrevocable 10-year deed restriction — that local and state conservation programs can rely on.
Johnson said the existing voluntary agricultural-district program remains available for landowners who prefer a nonbinding designation. She also said the county extension office sent the proposed amendment to the North Carolina Department of Agriculture ADFP (Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation) program, which recommended the change, and that the county's previous voluntary-ag-district board recommended approval.
No members of the public registered to speak at the hearing, and the board moved and approved the ordinance amendment.
Ending: County staff will implement the enhanced district option and provide program information to landowners who wish to enroll; the amendment is intended to strengthen farmland preservation tools available locally.
