HomeMy WebLinkAboutNatural Resources August 10 20101
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WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
Natural Resources Committee
August 10, 2010
CALL TO ORDER
Committee Chair Carl Weimer called the meeting to order at 9:30 a.m. in the Council
Chambers, 311 Grand Avenue, Bellingham, Washington.
ROLL CALL (9 :33 :56 AM)
Present: Carl Weimer, Bill Knutzen and L. Ward Nelson.
Absent: None.
Also Present: Barbara Brenner and Sam Crawford.
OTHER BUSINESS
RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE LAKE WHATCOM MANAGEMENT PROGRAM 2010 —
2014 WORK PLAN (AB2010 -303)
Cathy Craver, Planning and Development Services Department, gave an update on
the status of the plan, scheduled for the full Council tonight.
The following person answered questions:
• Chip Anderson, Public Works Department
Discussion included receiving public comments; (9 :36 :43 AM) forwarded comments
and responses to the Council; funding and budgeting; using the conservation futures fund;
using the flood fund for some of the stormwater projects, and; the current status of the
various projects.
COMMITTEE DISCUSSION
1. DISCUSSION REGARDING THE ORDINANCE IMPOSING AN INTERIM
MORATORIUM ON THE ACCEPTANCE OF NEW APPLICATIONS FOR
DIVISIONS OF LAND RESULTING IN LOTS SMALLER THAN FIVE ACRES
WITHIN THE LAKE WHATCOM WATERSHED (AB2010 -101A) (9 :45 :42 AM)
Weimer moved to recommend approval to the full Council.
The following person answered questions:
• Cathy Craver, Planning and Development Services Department
• Tyler Schroeder, Planning and Development Services Department
Natural Resources Committee, 8/10/2010, Page 1
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Discussion included why this item is scheduled in this committee; developing a
transfer of development rights (TDR) program; the pending total maximum daily load
(TMDL) study requirement to reduce development; the number of parcels subject to this
moratorium and that are affected by the TMDL; whether the TMDL includes the entire Lake
Whatcom watershed; other constraints on the affected parcels, and; whether there is a
benefit to the lake to restrict the few parcels that would be affected.
The motion carried by the following vote:
Ayes: Weimer, Knutzen and Nelson (3)
Nays: None (0)
2. PRESENTATION BY WHATCOM COUNTY ASSESSOR KEITH WILLNAUER ON
OPEN SPACE TAXATION ISSUES (AB2010 -276) (10:02:02 AM)
Keith Willnauer, Whatcom County Assessor, described the open space taxation
program allowed by the Revised Code of Washington (RCW). In the current use program,
the taxpayer doesn't technically receive an exemption. It's a lien on the property, since the
tax amount must be paid back to the County under certain circumstances. For every
reduction to an individual, the amount is carried as an additional load by taxpayers who
don't have the exemption.
He described the three categories within the current use program: open
space /agriculture, open space /timber, and open space /open space, including their purposes
and qualifications. There is a subcategory within the open space /open space designation for
farm conservation.
Discussion included whether there are criteria for the qualifications; whether there
has to be an agricultural plan for open space /agriculture; the importance of small acreage
agriculture; whether the agricultural plan has to be the critical areas farm plan; whether the
monetary value of the public benefit, such as clean water, could be counted as the farm
income; the methodology of determining open space /agriculture value; whether there is a
cost to transfer from one category to another; (10:32:01 AM) whether there is verification
of use for agriculture and timber designations between transfers or sales; whether a
criterion for determining open space /agriculture designation is the presence of agricultural
protection overlay (APO) soils; assessing the house and surrounding acre with current
market value versus including it in the designation; the County administering certain forest
practices; timber compliance with restocking versus a conversion option harvest plan;
whether the open space /timber designation applies if the timber is never harvested;
(10:44 :12 AM) whether other property owners who have been making up the property tax
difference receive a benefit when a property comes out of the program; quantifying the tax
benefits of the different programs; whether the open space /agriculture program has a
minimum lot size; the County ordinance determining how they qualify open space /open
space designations; the intent of the legislation, and; the County's total tax deferment and
the number of parcels included in the program.
OTHER BUSINESS
There was no other business.
Natural Resources Committee, 8/10/2010, Page 2
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ADJOURN
The meeting adjourned at 10:58 a.m.
Please contact the Council Office to obtain an
official, signed copy:
360- 676 -6690 or council(§-,o.w hatcom .wa.us
Dana Brown - Davis, Council Clerk
Carl Weimer, Committee Chair
Natural Resources Committee, 8/10/2010, Page 3