Agenda Item Name:
Title
Approval of the Program Agreement between NRCS and Alachua County for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program
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Presenter:
Charlie Houder / (352) 264-6804
Description:
Request that the Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) approve and authorize execution of the Program Agreement between NRCS and Alachua County for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program relating to the purchase of a conservation easement over portions of the "Santa Fe River Ranch" owned by Hitchcock Ranch, LLC and Hitchcock & Sons, Inc.
Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Approve and authorize the Chair to execute the Program Agreement between NRCS and Alachua County for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program relating to the purchase of a conservation easement over portions of the "Santa Fe River Ranch."
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Prior Board Motions:
On April 24, 2018, the BoCC approved the addition of the Santa Fe River - Hitchcock Property to the Active Acquisition List for the purchase of a conservation easement.
Fiscal Consideration:
Fiscal Consideration
The Program Agreement controls grant requests for specific projects or parcels, but does not obligate the County to specific expenditures. Currently, the County has not finalized the conservation easement acquisition Contract for the Hitchcock property, so the costs have not yet determined. Once a Contract is finalized, staff will bring this project back to the BoCC for their consideration. This tract of land would be pursued by ACF regardless of the grant opportunity, but it is staff's goal to bring the Contract to the BoCC along with the NRCS cost-share grant secured as a package. Any costs/expenses would be funded from the Land portion of Wild Spaces Public Places funding.
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Background:
Staff has applied for and successfully obtained acceptance into the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture's "Agricultural Conservation Easement Program - Agricultural Land Easement (ACEP-ALE)" Program administere...
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