Commission member urges county to adopt farmland-preservation program to unlock federal funds

A member of the county planning and zoning commission urged county officials during a public-comment session to adopt a farmland-preservation program that would allow landowners to protect family farms from development and qualify the county for federal funds.

The speaker, a farmer who said they live south of Manhattan and serve on the county planning and zoning commission, said counties must have a local program in place to access federal farmland-protection dollars. "The federal government in every farm bill has provided funding for farmland protection, but the money is only available if there's a local program," the commission member said.

The speaker recommended modeling the proposal on a program they identified as operating in "K County," which the speaker said began in 2010 and had enrolled more than 7,000 acres by 2013. They said Will County currently lacks such a program and that without one local officials cannot match federal or state funds to buy or place easements on farmland.

The commenter also described existing private actions that show local interest: "In Will County right now, we're averaging one to three farms a year that upon somebody's death, they are willing them to the forest reserve because they don't want to see it developed," the speaker said, adding that a formal farmland-preservation option could provide more choices for families who want the land to remain in agriculture while also remaining taxable and available for sale between farmers.

The speaker said the farmland-preservation model prevents outbidding by large nonfarm developers because land encumbered for agricultural use cannot be sold for warehouse or residential development. They also reported that Farm Bureau contacts and a long-serving local farm-bureau manager described the approach as effective in the referenced county.

A second public commenter said they had refined the proposal with "Elwood," prepared a handout with sample language and outreach suggestions, and urged adoption of a resolution and use of the county's newsletter to solicit constituent support as the county updates its land resource management plan.

The meeting chair thanked the speakers and said staff would review the materials and follow up for further discussion, while reminding participants that the public-comment portion is not a time for extended back-and-forth.

The proposal did not result in a formal motion or vote during the session. The county’s next step, according to the chair, is review by staff and possible further discussion with the presenters.