Haywood Working Lands Fund

A Bethel community resident who helped preserve hundreds of acres asked the board to put farmland rollback taxes into a preservation fund instead of the general fund.

Supported the fund as fiscally smart, saying even $25,000–$50,000 a year can leverage hundreds of thousands in state and federal matching dollars.

A county planning board member speaking as a private citizen urged dedicating 100% of rollback tax revenues to farmland preservation, arguing it doesn't stop growth.

The Farm Bureau president said its 6,500 members strongly support the resolution and called it a big step forward for preserving farmland.

Chair of the Ag Advisory Committee thanked the board for the matching funds, noting competition with other counties has grown and future generations need a path to farm.