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MINUTES

COMMISSION ON URBAN PLANNING, GROWTH MANAGEMENT OF CITIES, AND PROTECTION OF FARMLAND

September 4, 1997 - First Meeting of 1997-1998

MEMBERS PRESENT

MEETING IN BRIEF

Minutes prepared by Tim McDermott, Legal Counsel
Organizational staffing by Doug Adkisson, Legal Counsel

  1. Procedural Business.
  2. American Farmland Trust.
  3. Upcoming Meetings.
  4. Written Materials Filed With the Legislative Service Bureau.

COMMITTEE BUSINESS

1. Procedural Business.
Call to Order. Temporary Co-chairperson Senator Lundby called the meeting of the Commission on Urban Planning, Growth Management of Cities, and Protection of Farmland to order at 10:40 a.m., Thursday, September 4, 1997, in Room 116 of the State Capitol Building.
Election of Permanent Co-Chairpersons. Members of the Commission elected temporary Co-chairpersons Senator Lundby and Representative Teig as permanent Co-chairpersons.
Adoption of Rules. Members of the Commission adopted procedural rules which are available upon request to the Legislative Service Bureau.
Opening Remarks and Introductions. Co-chairperson Senator Lundby, Co-chairperson Representative Teig, and Representative Fallon all made opening remarks reflecting their personal views and expectations of the Commission. The remaining members of the Commission introduced themselves and provided a brief statement describing the organization they represent and the organization's interest in the Commission's charge.
Designation of Subcommittees. The Commission agreed to form a subcommittee for the purpose of identifying possible sources of funding which would support the work of the Commission. Members of the funding subcommittee include Co-chairperson Senator Lundby, Representative Fallon, Ms. Barron, Mr. Ackelson, and Ms. Cosner.
Request for Information. The Commission requested the Legislative Service Bureau to obtain all of the following information:
  1. All county land use inventories.
  2. Information on what counties developed land use plans and what those plans include.
  3. Information on the current status of the Land Preservation and Use Commissions in all counties.
  4. Information concerning Iowa's zoning laws.
Adjournment. The meeting day recessed for lunch at 11:55 a.m., reconvened at 1:20 p.m., and adjourned at 2:25 p.m.
2. American Farmland Trust.
Mr. Robert Wagner, American Farmland Trust, discussed the purpose of American Farmland Trust and the use of farmland preservation measures around the nation. Mr. Wagner's remarks and answers to Commission members' questions included the following:
Mission. Mr. Wagner made opening remarks regarding the mission of his organization, American Farmland Trust. American Farmland Trust is a national organization whose general goal is to work to protect productive farmland. The organization assists private groups, public officials, and individual landowners in reaching their farmland protection goals. American Farmland Trust provides technical assistance to officials developing public policy and provides public education on the issues of farmland protection and urban sprawl.
Report. Mr. Wagner discussed American Farmland Trust's report, Farming on the Edge. The report studied the loss of prime and unique farmland to urban conversion. The report showed that most urban conversion occurring in Iowa is of prime and unique farmland.
Urban Sprawl Issues. Mr. Wagner commented on some of the tensions that contribute to urban sprawl. He stated that people are being both pushed off farms and pulled away from cities. He opined that farmland preservation is not a no-growth issue, but rather is more of a planning issue. Mr. Wagner also opined that when people make choices regarding where they want to live, those choices are dictated less by what people want and more by what is available on the market.
Other State Efforts. Mr. Wagner discussed the work of the Ohio Farmland Preservation Task Force and the Michigan Farmland and Agriculture Development Task Force. In Ohio, it was determined that cities were decaying from the inside out because there was flat population growth in most areas where urban sprawl was occurring. The Ohio Farmland Preservation Task Force developed a set of recommendations which included voluntary incentives to farmland owners to protect the land and their equity, coordination of policies and programs at the state and local levels including infrastructure decisions, and urban revitalization measures.
Pennsylvania Efforts. Mr. Wagner discussed aspects of some of the farmland preservation measures being used in Pennsylvania. He discussed the use of agricultural security areas and a statewide purchase development rights program. Participation in an agricultural security area is voluntary and must be approved by local government. Land included in an agricultural security area is secure against eminent domain. In order to participate in the purchase development rights program, the land must be included in an agricultural security area. Under the purchase development rights program, the full market value of a farm is divided into the farming value and the development value. County and state matching funds are used to pay the owner of the farmland an amount equal to the development value of the farmland. In return, the owner of the farmland agrees to use the property for agricultural uses only. Mr. Wagner stated that there is a sizable backlog of owners of farmland waiting to sell development rights in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania also uses agricultural zoning and current use valuation as farmland preservation tools.
Concerns. Mr. Wagner stated that some of the negative aspects of a purchase development rights program include high monetary costs and the fact that not enough farmland is protected through such a program. He also stated that a purchase development rights program should be viewed as only one piece of an effective farmland protection program.
3. Upcoming Meetings.
The Commission agreed to schedule the next four meetings for the following dates:
The locations of these meetings will be announced later.
4. Written Materials Filed With the Legislative Service Bureau.

OTHER INFORMATION FOR THIS COMMITTEE:

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