Merced Sun-Star

COUNTY ADDS 3,300 ACRES OF PROTECTED AG LAND
Added under the Williamson Act...

By:Corinne Reilly
12-5-07

Next year, more than 3,000 acres of Merced County farmland will be added to a list of territory that's off limits to developers.

Under the state's Williamson Act, farmland owners across California can earn property tax discounts in exchange for promising to keep their land in agricultural production for at least 10 years. The state compensates the county for the tax losses.

On Tuesday, the Merced County Board of Supervisors approved 22 new Williamson Act contracts, adding 3,300 acres to the 444,700 already protected throughout the county...

Earlier this year, the state's struggle to balance its budget threatened to cut all funding for the Williamson Act, as similar budget struggles have in previous years. So far, though, the program has survived.

Last year the county approved 20 new Williamson Act contracts.

The newest contracts will take effect in January. Some are revisions on old contracts that are now void because of property line changes.

Statewide, about 16.6 million acres of farmland are contracted for preservation under the Williamson Act, according to the state Department of Conservation.

A total of 448,044 acres are now under Williamson Act contracts in Merced, according to the county assessor's office.

In July of last year, the county approved for the first time the premature cancellation of a Williamson Act contract. The cancellation allows a developer to build houses on 185 acres near Los Banos -- land that was to be preserved until 2010.

The county's decision prompted a lawsuit by the California Farm Bureau Federation. A hearing in the suit is scheduled for Dec. 17.