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 Burger argued that counting urbanization as a justification to remove agricultural designation "will be impossible for us to maintain farmland in this county," and urged the commission to press for a one-for-one approach so that when land is lost another parcel is designated.

Commissioners raised several related concerns. Several said the Ag Land Study—compiled under a narrow state-required scope—likely undercounts some active agriculture on parcels labeled forestry or rural; David Morgan, a Ridgefield farmer who spoke in public comment, said his 1,700-acre family farm was partly classified as forestry despite substantial agricultural use. Susan Rasmussen, speaking for Clark County Citizens United, also urged staff to post submitted testimony and metadata from an earlier 1994 plan into the meeting record.

The commission adopted two complementary actions: the recommendation to council to withhold de-designation pending an accepted replacement/designation mechanism, and a separate motion to prioritize researching and drafting mechanisms to protect agricultural acres. Zora Oppenheimer moved that the commission prioritize work on designation solutions; that motion passed and the group agreed to form a working committee. Staff (Bart) asked for volunteers to serve on a 3–4 person drafting committee; Justin Burger, Diane Dempster, Holly Hansen and Matthew Cornwell volunteered and staff agreed to coordinate one-way communications and synthesize the group's proposals ahead of the next commission meeting.

Commissioners and staff also highlighted timing constraints: Nov. 30 is the public-comment deadline on the draft environmental impact statement for the comprehensive-plan update, and the council is expected to choose a preferred alternative in January. Commissioners said those dates make timely recommendations important. Bart (staff) told the group staff would accept and post any meeting-related materials emailed to him for inclusion in the record.

Beyond the designation question, commissioners discussed policy tools they want explored, including transfer-of-development-rights (TDR) programs, ag conservation easements, incentives to support small-acre farmers, and infrastructure to help local producers reach markets. Several members emphasized that designation alone is insufficient if farms are not economically viable; Diane Dempster said boosting the economic viability of farming will require infrastructure and investment to help farmers get product to market.

The commission closed by directing volunteers to work with staff to draft recommendation options for the Dec. 17 meeting and a longer-term work plan for January. The meeting adjourned after routine business.

Votes at a glance: the commission approved (1) the recommendation that the council not de-designate existing agricultural land until there is a process to designate replacement agricultural land (motion by Justin Burger; second Holly Hansen; passed) and (2) a motion to prioritize drafting designation solutions and form a staff-supported subcommittee (mover Zora Oppenheimer; second Matthew Cornwell; passed).

What happens next: staff will collect written comments, the volunteer subcommittee will draft options for consideration at the commission’s next meeting, and the commission expects to send recommendations to county council ahead of the council’s January decision on the comprehensive-plan alternatives.