Rural Land Management Board

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Rural Land Management Board met on May 8, 2017, at 3:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber at 101 East Vine Street in Lexington, Kentucky. Mayor Jim Gray presided over the meeting. The board addressed six agenda items, including updates on federal cooperative agreements and contracts spanning fiscal years 2016 and 2017, as well as several motions related to farm appraisals and valuations. The board took four votes during the meeting and heard no public comments. All agenda items were approved, including motions to authorize an increase in the per acre value of Farm 1-2015, to authorize appraisals on seven farms (Farms 1-2017, 2-2017, 3-2017, 4-2017, 88-2002, 7-2012, and 8-2013), and to take action on Farm 8-2015.

Attendance

The following individuals were present at the meeting on May 8, 2017:

• Marianne
• Don Robinson
• Zachary
• Barry
• Don Ross
• Sam Miller
• Ann

No attendees were recorded as absent or late.

Votes and Decisions

The meeting included four motions, all of which passed unanimously.

Authorization to Increase Farm 1-2015 Per Acre Value 28:32

Marianne moved to authorize an increase to the per acre value of Farm 1-2015 as discussed in closed session. Zachary seconded the motion. All five members voted in favor: Marianne, Don Robinson, Zachary, Barry, and Don Ross. The motion passed unanimously.

Authorization to Conduct Farm Appraisals 33:27

Marianne moved to authorize the conduct of appraisals on Farms 1-2017, 2-2017, 3-2017, 4-2017, 88-2002, 7-2012, and 8-2013. The appraisals would be funded by the 2015 Cooperative Agreement and LFUCG FY2016-2017 Funding. Zachary seconded the motion. All five members voted in favor: Marianne, Don Robinson, Zachary, Barry, and Don Ross. The motion passed unanimously.

Agricultural Land Easement on Farm 8-2015 35:40

Marianne moved to place an agricultural land easement on Farm 8-2015. The motion was contingent upon Lexington Fayette Urban County Government's irrevocable appropriation of the purchase price in its fiscal year 2018 budget. The easement shall run in perpetuity and be subject to this condition. Zachary seconded the motion. All five members voted in favor: Marianne, Don Robinson, Zachary, Barry, and Don Ross. The motion passed unanimously.

PDR Budget Request Increase 41:38

Marianne moved to increase the Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) budget request from $2 million to $5 million. Zachary seconded the motion. All five members voted in favor: Marianne, Don Robinson, Zachary, Barry, and Don Ross. The motion passed unanimously.

Budget and Financial Actions

The meeting addressed two primary financial matters:

Appraisal Funding Under 2015 Cooperative Agreement

Funding was approved for appraisals on seven farms under the 2015 Cooperative Agreement. The farms included in this funding were: - Farm 1-2017 - Farm 2-2017 - Farm 3-2017 - Farm 4-2017 - Farm 88-2002 - Farm 7-2012 - Farm 8-2013

PDR Program Appropriation

An appropriation of $5,000,000 was approved for the PDR program. This funding included an increased budget request for the program.

Contested Items

Rank Order of Substitute Farms for 2015 Grant

Councilmember Penn raised a procedural concern regarding the substitution of farms from the 2017 applicant pool into the 2015 grant program. The dispute centered on whether maintaining the rank order of substitute farms could expose the program to challenges from other applicants who might question the selection process.

Penn's concern reflected the complexity of managing applicant pools across multiple grant years and the potential legal or administrative vulnerabilities that could arise from substitution decisions. The councilmember sought clarification on how to proceed with farm substitutions while protecting the integrity of the grant allocation process.

The issue was resolved through guidance provided by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The NRCS clarified that multiple substitutions from the 2017 applicant pool could be made sequentially until the full grant funding was utilized. This approach allowed the program to fill available grant resources while maintaining a defensible procedural framework based on established NRCS protocols.

Update on 2015 Federal Cooperative Agreement/LFUCG FY-2016 Contracts; and 2016 Federal Cooperative Agreement/LFUCG FY-2017 Contracts

20:12

Beth Cawood provided an update on the status of farms operating under the 2015 and 2016 federal cooperative agreements with LFUCG.

Current Contract Status

The update reported that 1,167 acres are currently under contract. Upon completion of the current contracts, 30,120 acres are expected to be conserved in total.

Contract Adjustments

The discussion addressed changes to the 2015 grant contracts. Two farms withdrew from the 2015 federal grant, and the organization sought to replace them using substitute farms from the 2017 applicant pool. This substitution approach received approval from NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service).

Outcome

The update was approved.

Motion to Enter into Closed Executive Session pursuant to KRS 61.810(1)(b)

26:39

A motion was made and seconded to enter closed executive session pursuant to KRS 61.810(1)(b) to discuss the potential acquisition of a real property interest. The speakers involved in this agenda item were Marianne and Don Robinson.

The motion specified that the closed session was necessary because public discussion of the potential property acquisition is likely to affect the value of the real property interest under consideration. This rationale aligns with Kentucky Revised Statutes 61.810(1)(b), which permits closed sessions when discussion of real property acquisition matters could impact property values.

The motion passed unanimously, allowing the body to proceed into closed executive session for this discussion.

Motion to Authorize an increase in the per acre value of Farm 1-2015

28:32

Following closed session discussion, a motion was made to increase the per acre value of Farm 1-2015. The increase was necessary because the property's valuation had surpassed its twelve-month expiration date and required updating.

Key speakers on this agenda item included Marianne and Zachary.

The motion passed unanimously.

Motion to Authorize an Appraisal on Farms 1-2017, 2-2017, 3-2017, 4-2017, 88-2002, 7-2012, and 8-2013

33:27

A motion was presented to authorize appraisals for seven farms identified as Farms 1-2017, 2-2017, 3-2017, 4-2017, 88-2002, 7-2012, and 8-2013. The appraisals would be funded through the 2015 Cooperative Agreement and LFUCG FY2016-2017 funding.

Key speakers on this agenda item included Marianne and Zachary. The discussion took place following a closed session, during which the matter was deliberated.

The motion passed unanimously.

Motion on Farm 8-2015

A motion was presented to place an agricultural land easement on Farm 8-2015 35:40. The motion included a contingency requiring the Lexington Fayette Urban County Government to make an irrevocable appropriation of the purchase price in its fiscal year 2018 budget.

Key speakers on this agenda item included Marianne and Zachary.

The motion passed unanimously.

Motion to Adjourn

The meeting concluded at approximately 42 minutes and 21 seconds without a formal motion to adjourn. Instead, following the final vote on the agenda, all members present indicated their agreement to conclude the meeting. No discussion or debate took place regarding adjournment, and the meeting ended by consensus of the assembled members.