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Home My WebLink AboutMINUTES - 12092008 - C.48 s .L TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS '��- -=��' Contra FROM: David Twa, County Administrator of 7, � s Costa DATE: December 9, 2008 Sra �oai County SUBJECT: OPPOSITION TO ELIMINATION OF FUNDING for WILLIAMSON ACT PROGRAM SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS) AUTHORIZE the Chair of the Board, Federal D. Glover, to sign the attached letter to the County's state legislative delegation opposing the elimination of funding for the Williamson Act program, as recommended by Supervisor Mary N. Piepho. FISCAL IMPACT The County receives approximately $68,000 annually in funding from the State from the Williamson Act subvention program. BACKGROUND The California Legislature passed the Williamson Act in 1,965 to preserve agricultural and open space lands by discouraging premature and unnecessary conversion to urban uses. Today, CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: ❑ YES SIGNATURE: RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR ❑ RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE ❑ ❑ APPROVE ❑ OTHER SIGNATURE(S): LL ACTION OF BOARD ON >.re/ „ __--__ I;APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED ❑ OTT1HER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS: I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE AND // CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AND V UNANIMOUS(ABSENT ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF AYES: NOES: SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. ABSENT: ABSTAIN: ATTESTED: Dec. 9, 2008 Contact: L. DeLaney, CAD's 5-1097 DAVID TWA, CLERK OF THE BOARD OF cc: SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR Supervisor Mary N. Piepho Patrick Roche,DCD By:K�Ltt'PI�llfM.�� ti �.6W t- Deputy r - Page 2 nearly 16.9 million of the state's 29 million acres of farm and ranch land are currently protected under the Act. Under the Williamson Act; an owner of agricultural land may enter into a contract with the county that restricts the use of the land to the production of commercial crops for an ongoing 10 or 20-year period. The term of the contract is automatically extended each year unless notice of cancellation or nonrenewal is given. Certain compatible uses are also allowed on the property. In return, the landowner's property tax is based on the land's income producing capability rather than its Proposition 13 value. Enacted in 1971, the Williamson Act subvention program sets forth a state reimbursement formula for allocating payments to local governments based on acreage enrolled in the program. This financial support from the state has provided a tangible incentive for local governments to stay in the program and initiate more contracts by partially replacing property tax revenues lost on enrolled land. The Governor's November budget revision, however, would permanently eliminate all funding, amounting to approximately $34.7 million, for subventions to counties for property tax losses incurred by enrolling agricultural land in Williamson Act contracts. CSAC is urging California counties to immediately contact their legislative delegation, as well as legislative leadership and the Governor's Office regarding the Governor's proposal to eliminate the subvention funding. This $34.7 million would amount to a very small budget savings for the State. Yet the impacts of eliminating these subventions would be the first step in unraveling a very important planning and conservation tool that has helped guide land-use decisions and preserve California's farmland for nearly four decades. The preservation of agriculture and open space is not just a local priority; it is — and must remain — a State priority. (See Attachment A, "Protecting the Williamson Act Subvention Funds.") Although Contra Costa County's subvention from the State for our Williamson Act Program is not very substantial (this year's claim is approx. $68,000), these funds do support important activities associated with administering this statewide program. Most of the County's subvention funds go to the Assessor's Office to support aspects of the program that they administer, and the Department of Conservation' and Development's costs are typically captured through application fees. It would be unfortunate to lose the State's funding support from the subvention funds. It would represent a loss of the State's commitment to the program aimed at preserving farmland. This proposal has surfaced from the Governor's office in recent years due to the State's budget problems, and the County has supported CSAC's position to retain the subvention funding. This program is very important to several counties with significant agriculture production (e.g. Central Valley counties), and some counties have said that they will end their program if the state pulls the money. The state Farm Bureau has also been a strong advocate in support of retaining the subvention. CHILDREN'S IMPACT STATEMENT ('Optional) CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION The Board of Supervisors Contra John Cullen County Administration Building Costa Clerk of the Board 651 Pine Street, Room 106 and Martinez,California 94553 CountCounty Administrator Y (925)335-1900 John Gioia, 15'District Gayle B.Uilkema,2otl District Mary N.Piepho,3n°District Susan A.Bonilla,4"District Federal D.Glover,5"District ' November 21, 2008 The Honorable Mark DeSaulnier The Honorable Tom Torlakson California State Senate California State Assembly Sacramento, CA Sacramento, CA The Honorable Loni Hancock The Honorable Nancy Skinner California State Senate California State Assembly Sacramento, CA Sacramento, CA The Honorable Joan Buchanan California State Assembly Sacramento, CA RE: Opposition to Elimination of Funding for Williamson Act Program Dear Senators DeSaulnier and Hancock and Assemblymembers Torlakson, Skinner, and Buchanan, On behalf of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, I am writing to express our strong opposition to the Governor's November Special Session State Budget proposal that would eliminate $34.7 million in Williamson Act subventions. While we understand the severity of the current economic crisis, this permanent elimination of the subvention payments will have irreversible adverse consequences at the local, state and national level. Enacted in 1965, the Williamson Act is a voluntary program that provides lower property taxes to agricultural landowners in exchange for their contractual commitments with participating cities or counties to keep their land in agricultural or open space uses for at least 10 years. In 1971, state funding was provided which created a formula for allocating payments to local governments based on acreage enrolled in the program. Today, nearly one-third of all the privately owned land in the state is enrolled in a Williamson Act contract. Those 16 million acres constitute more than one-half of the state's 29 million acres of farm and ranchland. For cities and counties, this financial support has provided a tangible incentive for local governments to stay in the program and initiate more contracts by partially replacing property tax revenues lost on enrolled land. Property tax revenue growth has dropped considerably in many parts of the state and will continue to decline as the housing market continues to slow. If the subventions are not funded, there is no doubt that cities and counties will be forced to discontinue their participation in the Act given local budgetary conditions. Although Contra Costa County's subvention from the State for our Williamson Act Program is not very substantial (this year's claim is approximately $68,000), these funds support important activities associated with administering this statewide program. For California, eliminating the subvention payments is the first step towards a total unraveling of the broadest based agricultural conservation program in the State. California is losing its working landscapes at an alarming rate while simultaneously faced with tremendous population pressure that further jeopardizes the economic viability of thousands of farming and ranching enterprises. Even with the Williamson Act, the Department of Conservation estimates over 397,000 acres of farmland were converted to other uses from 2000 to 2002. We feel very strongly that the Williamson Act has proven to be an effective tool for encouraging the preservation of existing farmland. With the State's emphasis on the reduction of greenhouse gases, the Williamson Act is excellent tool that local governments can use to encourage the protection of agricultural lands and open space. Therefore, we strongly urge you to oppose the elimination of the funding that supports this important farmland and open space protection program. Sincerely, EDERAL D. GLOVER Chair, Board of Supervisors cc: Board of Supervisors David Twa, CAO Gus Kramer, Assessor Catherine Kutsuris, DCD Director Cathy Christian, Nielsen Merksamer Contra Costa County Agricultural Lands Task Force Contra Costa Mayors' Conference City of Brentwood City of Oakley Bay Area Land Trust Discovery Bay CSD Bethel Island MAC Byron MAC 2