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Director outlines phased plan to evaluate easement purchase price cap
Summary
Director Matt Knepper described a multi-step review — including appraisals, a farm-owner survey and consultations with Lancaster Farmland Trust — intended to gather data before the Board considers raising the per-acre easement purchase price cap.
Matt Knepper, Director of the Lancaster County Farmland Preservation program, told the Board the county will take a deliberate, multi-part approach before deciding whether to raise the per-acre easement purchase price cap. He said the process will include appraisal guidance from Gerald Eberly of Eberly Appraisal Services at the March meeting, an analysis of whether the program is preserving the ``best'' farms, and an ongoing farm-owner survey conducted with Lancaster Farmland Trust to understand awareness, application barriers and the cap's impact.
Knepper emphasized the goal is to gather enough data to make an informed policy decision rather than act immediately. Lancaster Farmland Trust representatives will meet with owners alongside county staff; the Board will review appraisal results and may later consider offers on ranked farms after the data collection and appraisal review phase is complete.
