Clark County ag advisory commission urges council not to de-designate ag land until a replacement process exists

At a Nov. 19 meeting, the Clark County Agricultural Advisory Commission voted to ask the County Council not to de-designate any currently designated agricultural land until the county establishes a process to designate replacement agricultural land. The motion was moved by Justin Burger and seconded by Holly Hansen; the commission voted verbally and the motion passed.

Commission Chair Mo McKenna opened the hybrid meeting and framed the session as the commission’s first full deliberation on the county Ag Land Study; commissioners were asked to offer one to three takeaways or recommendations to send to council. The meeting included in-person and online public comment and extensive commissioner discussion about mapping accuracy, designation criteria and economic supports for agriculture.

Why it matters: commissioners repeatedly warned that allowing de-designation without a mechanism to replace lost acreage risks a steady net loss of farmland. "If there's no process for designation, we're just losing acres," Mo McKenna said, noting the commission would like to see ag designation at least restored to 1994 levels. Justin…