AGRICULTURECOMMISSION
July16, 20l2 - 7:00PM
ColchesterTown Hall
Room3
MEETINGAGENDA
1. Call to order
2. Additions to the Agenda
3. Approve Minutes of the May 21, 2011 Agriculture Commission Meeting
4. Citizens comments
5. Chair report
6. Old business
a. Update from Town Planner concerning the Slembeck Farm.
b. Update from Town Planner concerning the Cost of Community Services Study.
c. Discussion and possible action on Agriculture Commission recommendations to the Planning & Zoning Commission concerning the town ordinance that forbids the raising of pigs and fur-bearing animals.
d. Any other old business deemed necessary.
7. New business
a. Any other new business deemed necessary.
8. Adjournment
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Attachment:Agriculture Commission Action Items Still Pending as ifJuly 16, 2012
Agriculture Commission Action Items Still Pending as if July 16, 2012
Bracketed numbers refer to minutes [yymmdd paragraph] when items were last discussed
1. Bylaws draft needs discussion and approval [120521 6c(1)].
2. Liz to contact towns of Guilford, Thompson and Sterling about their procedures for handling farmers' or citizens' concerns and complaints [120521 6c(2)].
3. Change in 490A acreage requirements [120521 6c(3)].
4. For zoning and tax purposes, broaden right to farm policy to allow farms by right to engage in business activities that are not traditional farming but are related to or consistent with farming [120416 6c].
5. Investigate the tax rates for the 490 program with the goal of adhering to the current CT Dept of Agriculture guidelines for valuations of all farmland in town [120416 6c].
6. Authorize additional tax exemptions that the state allows for farm machinery (beyond the original $100,000 exemptions), farm buildings and extra property tax abatements on certain types of farms [120416 6c].
7, Involve the Colchester school system in farm awareness programs as a means of stemming future problems as well as educate local students about the role of Colchester's farms in food production and their community [120416 6c].
8. Make it easier for farmers to obtain and maintain (with a sense of security) the agricultural tax status 490A and 490 [120416 6c].
9. Revisit Farmland Ranking Criteria to assign weights to each factor[120521 6a].
10. Work with Planner to compile a complete inventory and ranking of all Colchester farmlands [120416 6a].
11. Recommendations to P&Z concerning the town ordinance thatforbids the raising of pigs and fur-bearing animals [120521 5a].
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