§ 14-127. Agricultural priority areas (APA).

(a)

[Identifying geographic areas.] The designation of agricultural priority areas in the county is intended to identify geographic areas containing the most productive agricultural soils in active farming areas. Agricultural priority area designation is the first step in directing the expenditure of funds for conservation easement acquisition. Efforts to coordinate with the city/county planning department in regards to the urban growth boundary and priority growth area will be made.

(b)

Criteria for designation. The following are guidelines for the designation of agricultural priority areas:

(1)

Areas should contain sufficient contiguous agricultural land to facilitate its permanent agricultural use.

(2)

Areas should consist primarily of soils identified in the county as prime or locally important.

(3)

Land in the area should be primarily in agricultural use.

(c)

Procedure for designation and/or termination. Agricultural priority areas will be recommended by the farmland board and adopted by the BOCC. In determining areas to include, the farmland board may confer with any governing body affected by the proposed APA, receive recommendations from the soil and water conservation district and city/county planning department, and/or conduct a public meeting to receive public comments. The BOCC will establish APAs by resolution and adopt an official map showing boundaries of all APAs. Termination of an APA shall be by resolution approved by the BOCC.

(d)

Protection from public capital projects. The county will promote, to the extent possible, protection of continued agricultural use of land in APAs from incompatible capital projects that are not planned at the time of APA establishment and which would result in extensive, direct and/or indirect conversion of farmland resources. If possible, no project funded directly or indirectly by the BOCC will be conducted on land included in an APA if it would lead to the direct conversion of farmland.

(Ord. No. 7-12-99, § II; Ord. of 5-27-03)