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Harrison County approves two farmland-protection easements totaling $400,000
Summary
The commission approved purchase of conservation easements for the Stenger property (about 170 acres, $340,000) and the Stark property (about 30 acres, $60,000) from the Farmland Protection Board fund, with appraisal and title work pending.
Harrison County commissioners voted Feb. 4 to approve two farmland-protection easement purchases totaling $400,000.
County staff said the Farmland Protection Board recommended buying an easement on the Robert Stenger property — roughly 170 acres located between West Milford and Bolford — for $340,000. The staff report said appraisal, survey, title work and the property owner’s acceptance of the offer were complete or pending, and the requisition will come from the Farmland Protection Board Fund. A commissioner moved to approve the purchase and to authorize signatures; the motion carried by voice vote.
The commission also approved a $60,000 offer for a 30-acre easement on the Stark property. Commissioners discussed that the parcel lies in a floodplain and debated whether floodplain restrictions affected the conservation purpose. Staff and a Farmland Protection Board representative said the property is “prime agricultural land” and the board recommended purchase now because the parcel can be acquired at a reduced rate while flood-plain data is unsettled. The motion to approve the Stark easement passed.
What happens next: Staff indicated usual post-approval steps remain (title work and formal closing). The purchases will be paid from the Farmland Protection Board Fund.
