PROGRAM OPEN SPACE - USE OF FUNDS
The Agricultural Land Preservation Program assists in
achieving some of the same objectives sought in the Open Space Program. The
amount of parkland being purchased in this program has been increasing rapidly,
thereby reducing tax revenue. Therefore, we recommend that the allocation of
funds from the Open Space Program to the Agricultural Land Preservation
Foundation be increased substantially. We support legislation that will allow
the counties to use part or all of their local share of the Open Space
acquisition funds for the Preservation of Agricultural Land Program, thereby
preserving open space without removing land from tax rolls. ’05
We recommend that the larger share of open space funds be
used for maintenance of present parkland rather than the acquisition of new
land.’06