Saratoga County committee approves $95,000 reserve transfer, sets March hearing on ag‑district inclusions
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Summary
The county Trails and Open Space Committee authorized a $95,000 transfer from the open‑space reserve to allow a previously approved 2021 conservation purchase to close, set a March public hearing on additions to two agricultural districts, and reviewed the county's farmland/open‑space and trails grant programs and a proposal to fund a countywide trails master plan.
The Saratoga County Trails and Open Space Committee voted Feb. 3 to transfer $95,000 from the county's open‑space reserve to its operating account so the county can reimburse a municipality and finalize a 2021 conservation purchase. Chairman Grosso moved the resolution and it was approved by voice vote.
Jason Kemper, Planning, told the committee the county had originally awarded $95,000 for the Wilton project and that because the grant closed after the fiscal year the funds are held in reserve until a board resolution moves them into operating to reimburse the town when closing paperwork is complete. "This project we awarded for $95,000," Kemper said, explaining the bookkeeping and reimbursement steps required to finish the transaction.
The committee also set a public hearing for March to consider adding several properties to Agricultural Districts 1 and 2. Kemper described the annual, voluntary application process: landowners apply each October; the county verifies ownership and eligibility; the Saratoga County Farmland Protection Board reviews applications and recommends inclusion; and the county then forwards adopted resolutions and maps to the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets for final state review.
Kemper reviewed program funding levels and backlogs: the Farmland & Open Space program has eight pending projects spanning application years 2021–2025, and the packet lists the 2026 program allocation as $375,000 with limited reserve funds available from prior years' projects that did not close. He said many open‑space projects take multiple years to complete and that staff will return in March with a full summary of outstanding allocations and project statuses.
On trails grants, Kemper said the county budgeted $100,000 for the municipal trails reimbursement program for 2026, that the program is reimbursement‑based, and that typical awards in recent years ranged from roughly $7,500 to $10,000 per project depending on committee decisions. He noted a backlog of projects from 2020–2025 and said the committee will set application parameters and match requirements before releasing the call for applications in March.
Chairman Grosso raised a separate funding question: whether to supplement the trails program with reserves to pay for a countywide trails master plan. Grosso said preliminary estimates discussed at the meeting put the cost of a master plan in the $30,000–$40,000 range and asked staff to return with reserve figures and a plan for how to proceed.
What happens next: staff will bring a detailed list of outstanding open‑space and trails projects to the committee's March meeting, the public hearing on ag‑district inclusions will be held in March, and the transfer resolution will enable staff to finalize reimbursement once closing documentation is complete.
