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The board said it would have a public hearing with the program.
Luke and McCarthy were assigned to work out a viable plan for the next board meeting.
In an interview, Rifaat said the board maintained control since it will form a committee to advise on what land to buy and will ultimately decide on how the money is spent.
The proposed ordinance was drafted by a study committee appointed in April 2003 including Rifaat, McCarthy, A1 Henry, a member of the Planning Board; Commissioner of Revenue Beverly Atkins; Michael Leak, president of the Rappahannock National Bank, Charles Sher, an accountant; and Hal Hunter of the Rappahannock League for Environmental Protection. Supervisor Bryant Lee was also on the committee.
The committee looked at how nearby counties, including Fauquier and Clarke, handled the issue. The study took six months.
The plan requires no new taxes. It will primarily be paid for by the “rollback” provisions of the land use taxation program.
When a farmer accepts the sixyear tax break on farmland and sells his land before six years, he must pay back the difference between his farm tax and the regular tax level. This is called a “roll-back” and brings the county some $20,000 to $25,000 a year, McCarthy said, adding that the county has some $75,000 in this account.
McCarthy said he saw the program buying land in one or two 100acre farms a year.
Nicholas M. Horrock may be reached at nhorrock@timespapers.com.
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