Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Agriculture Preservation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council updates agricultural and woodland preservation rules, lowers acreage threshold and raises easement payment share
Summary
Bill 55‑26 modernizes Anne Arundel County’s agricultural and woodland preservation program: it lowers minimum acreage thresholds in some cases, raises the county easing payment share to 70% of appraised value, clarifies permitted agricultural uses and subdivision rules, and extends tax‑credit parity to rural legacy easements; the council passed the bill 6‑0 with one abstention.
The Anne Arundel County Council on July 6 passed Bill 55‑26, a comprehensive update to the county’s Agricultural and Woodland Preservation Program intended to modernize eligibility rules, clarify permitted agricultural uses, and improve parity for landowners enrolled in different state and county easement programs.
Planning staff presented the bill and its rationale. Michael Stringer of the Office of Planning and Zoning said the county’s preservation rules had not been comprehensively updated since 1999 and highlighted changes including lowering a minimum preservation size in some cases to 30 acres, allowing limited agricultural subdivision that keeps parcels subject to easements, and increasing the county’s easement payment from 60% to 70% of appraised value to improve parity with state programs. "We've been working with landowners and stakeholders over the past year," Stringer said, noting a stakeholder process with advisory groups and commissions.
Public testimony during the hearing overwhelmingly supported the bill. Farmers and representatives from the Farm Bureau, the Agricultural Commission, and regional stakeholder groups told the council the update would help small and beginning farmers access preservation programs and preserve contiguous farmland. "Reducing the preservation size to 30 acres will allow more farmers to benefit from our county preservation program," said Kayla Griffith, a member of the Agricultural Preservation Advisory Board who testified in favor.
On roll call the bill passed with six votes in favor and one abstention (Councilman Volke). Supporters said the changes strike a balance between protecting working lands and adapting to modern farm operations; the adoption also aligns county policy with recent state changes that allow tax credits for certain legacy easements.
What happens next: The bill is enacted as passed; staff will proceed with administrative updates and outreach to affected landowners and partners to implement the new eligibility, pricing, and program procedures.
