Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Conservation Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council gives nonbinding thumbs‑up to pursue 39.56‑acre Pear Tree Llama conservation easement and considers $750,000 ask
Summary
Utah Open Lands and property owners sought Midway support to secure a conservation easement on about 39.56 acres (Pear Tree Llama/White family). The applicants seek $750,000 from Midway open-space funds to leverage county, nonprofit, and federal money; federal funds previously secured were 'clawed back' and Utah Open Lands plans to reapply.
Council heard a presentation from staff and Utah Open Lands about a proposal to conserve roughly 39.56 acres owned by the Gerald L. and Catherine F. White Living Trust (known as Pear Tree Llama). The owners operate llamas and lease about 18 acres to Kohler Dairy; the parcel hosts sagebrush habitat and agricultural uses the preservation would protect.
Utah Open Lands staff described an estimated market value (provided as a conservative market analysis) of about $6,500,000 and said the owners would donate an estimated 25% of value. The funding plan reported included county open-space bond commitments and other nonprofit contributions; Utah Open Lands had previously reported a federal funding allocation (~$3.25 million) that has since been clawed back. The nonprofit said it will reapply for federal funds this fall and asked Midway to signal support, including a possible $750,000 allocation from Midway’s open-space bond to leverage other funds.
Council members pressed staff and Utah Open Lands on bond accounting: from a $5,000,000 original bond, staff reported about $3,600,000 spent and $1,780,000 unspent, with $1,500,000 already committed to other projects, meaning taking $750,000 could exceed currently uncommitted funds. Staff and Utah Open Lands discussed sequencing options, using the remaining cash from the open-space fund first and approaching the second bond only if necessary; council asked for assurances that agreements protect city taxpayers and accommodate project timing if federal funds are delayed.
Utah Open Lands said conservation-easement appraisals will be completed before any purchase-and-sale agreement is finalized; appraisals are costly and can become stale if the process extends. Council gave a nonbinding 'thumbs up' for Utah Open Lands to continue pursuing the Pear Tree Llama easement and asked staff to return with firm appraisal figures, proposed terms (including water-share encumbrances), and recommended legal language addressing annexation expectations for affected properties.
