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The evidence clearly supports sludge as a safe and enormously beneficial farm product. At the same time, the fear expressed by many in the face of contrary evidence is so palpable it can be neither ignored, ridiculed nor trivialized. Although I believe a closer look will show that many are just put off by what my grandson might call the “yuckiness” of sludge — its initial odor and the knowledge of its source — others truly worry about poisons and disease. They, too, are your constituents, and I know their concerns concern you.
Having said that, I wish to raise an issue that received insufficient attention in the various newrs articles on sludge, namely — the legal issue. The ordinance does not address, endorse or prohibit other farm practices or products — from orchard insecticides, to pesticides, livestock hormones and medicines which ajnimals deposit with their feces on our fields and in our waters. It singles out sludge with no rationale for doing so. •
I have read no report on the legal opinion of Commonwealth’s Attorney Peter Luke on the question: are you inviting a lawsuit with this amendment? Would a court challenge to this amendment pose any threat to other provisions of the zoning ordinance or even to the ent|re ordinance? Are you prepared »to raise the necessary monies to fujid such a lawsuit? Are your constituents prepared to be taxed for such a court fight? * I
I, for one, am not. And I beliejve you are headed straight to court with this amendment. ",
When I enrolled my farm in jan agricultural-forestal district with a 10-year'commitment to farming! % I understood that my farm would Jbe protected from intrusions into its operation by the county or neighboring property owners. Should the county ' elect to withdraw' land-use tax beuefits from farmland, which it can dcjat any time — my farm will be excluded from the increased tax burden throughout my lO-y^ar enrollment period.
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