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Lee County approves revised conservation easement policy and directs rollback tax funds to farmland preservation
Summary
The board amended its conservation easement policy to allow county funding to help purchase easements in certain cases, approved a budget amendment redirecting 2025 rollback tax revenue to the Farmland Preservation Fund, and tasked staff and the agricultural advisory board with vetting requests.
The Lee County Board of Commissioners on March 16 approved changes to the county’s conservation easement policy that allow the board, in its discretion, to allocate funding to offset costs related to conservation easements, including an amount that could be paid directly to a landowner for the purchase of an easement.
Staff and a representative from Triangle Land Conservancy explained that many easement projects rely on fluid funding packages combining federal, state and private grants and that limiting county support to transactional costs would effectively block most projects. The land-conservancy representative said recent awards of outside funds had reduced or eliminated the county share on at least one proposed project.
"When you look at the full picture, these projects are very long term and often take six to eight months to close," the conservancy representative said. The board discussed fiscal caution, limits and the need for a clear vetting process; commissioners agreed the agriculture advisory board would review joint requests and provide recommendations before board action.
Commissioner [surname used on the record] moved to approve the version of the policy that allows purchase support; the motion passed, with Commissioner Martin recorded as opposed.
Finance staff also introduced a budget amendment to direct 2025 rollback tax proceeds to the Farmland Preservation Fund. The board approved the budget amendment by voice vote.
Why it matters: The policy change gives the county a tool to help preserve farmland in perpetuity when projects demonstrate broad funding and conservation value, but commissioners debated limits, caps, and the risk that county dollars could inflate land costs. The county emphasized that each request will be vetted and brought forward with recommendations from the agriculture advisory board.
What’s next: Staff and the agricultural advisory board will continue vetting proposed easement projects. Any award of county funds will come before the board for final approval.
