Carbon County board votes to request $750,000 in bond funds to leverage state farmland match

The Carbon County Farmland Preservation Board voted to request $750,000 from county bond funds to support its farmland preservation program, a move the board said will maximize available state matching funds.

Board members and staff discussed how different request amounts would affect the state match. David (staff member) explained that a $750,000 county commitment, combined with the state’s 2:1 match, would create approximately $2.25 million for purchases, while a $1,000,000 request would yield a smaller relative match. “If you pledge from the farmland bond issue $750, right, and we get 2 to 1 for that, that’s 2.25,” David said during the discussion.

The board debated how much of the pipeline it could realistically complete in one year and whether asking for a smaller amount now would allow the county to stretch bond dollars and produce a stronger state match. A county representative raised whether the program could spend a large commitment within the year; board members said they have increased capacity with a full-time staffer and a pipeline of farms ready for ranking.

A motion to request $750,000 from the county commissioners was made, seconded and approved by voice vote. David was directed to draft and submit the request to the commissioners and to ensure the board’s notice reaches the state before the Jan. 31 deadline.

Board members said the requested bonding amount aims to balance near-term demand from applicants with the county’s desire to preserve bond capacity for future rounds. The board also asked staff to include necessary documentation so the county’s request would be considered at the commissioners’ meeting.

Next steps: staff will prepare the formal letter to commissioners, circulate the request to the full board, and notify the state by Jan. 31 as instructed.