Board of County Commissioners Approves Applications for the Protection of 5,000 Agricultural Acres under the Installment Purchase Program

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Following its public hearing on December 4, 2007, the Frederick County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) approved and ranked 37 agricultural landowner applications for participation in the County’s Installment Purchase Program (IPP). A total of 5,000 acres of farm land will be protected under the Fiscal Year 2008 (FY08) program cycle.  Frederick County continues to work toward its goal of protecting 100,000 acres of prime agricultural land by 2020.  Presently 38,172 acres of land are permanently protected.  Fortunately, landowner interest in land protection continues to grow.

Anne Bradley with the County’s Agricultural Preservation Program staff in the Department of Planning explained that the IPP program pays the landowner tax-free interest on the Easement value over a term from 10-20 years and then a lump sump payout at the end of the term.  Because the County is paying interest on over 70 IPP easements every year, and because income
from the Recordation Tax that funds the IPP Program has slowed down with the sluggish housing market, the County is unsure how many offers can be made.  This may be the first year that the County cannot make offers to all of the approved applicants. The County plans to acquire 2 more IPP easements on December 14th that are leftover from its FY07 Cycle.	Photo of Eng-Land Acres, LLC just east of the town of New Market on Detrick Rd Taken by Anne Bradley

Also in land preservation news, this fall the County acquired its first preservation easement in the Carrollton Manor Rural Legacy Area in the vicinity of Buckeystown and Adamstown.

For additional information contact Anne Bradley at 301 600-1474 or see the program web site at http://www.co.frederick.md.us/index.asp?nid=103.