Delaware GOP's Weekly Message
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In this week's message from the Delaware Republican Party, State Representative Jeff Spiegelman (R-Clayton) focuses on the state's Farmland Preservation Program - which permanently preserves acreage for the sole purpose of agriculture.
Almost 800 farms comprising more than 115,000 acres have been set aside via the acquisition of development rights on behalf of the state.
But Rep. Spiegelman states that the program is suffering from a lack of funding and a lack of support from the Markell administration.
"In his last three recommended capital budgets, Governor Jack Markell designated just $2 million annually for farmland preservation," Spiegelman said. "In Fiscal Year 2012, he recommended no funding at all.
"Under state law, the Farmland Preservation Fund is supposed to receive $10 million annually from the state's Realty Transfer Tax revenue. But that law is being cynically ignored. Lawmakers have tried to restore the funding, sometimes without success."
Spiegelman says providing steady, reliable funding for the program is vital to job creation and economic vitality when you consider state officials estimate the Ag industry’s economic impact in Delaware is $8 billion and 30,000 jobs.
Full text of State Rep. Jeff Spiegelman's weekly message
Hello, I’m State Rep. Jeff Spiegelman.
With the recent Delaware State Fair, it seems like an appropriate time to reflect on Delaware’s Farmland Preservation Program.
Our state’s effort to permanently preserve farm acreage by acquiring its development rights is nationally recognized. According to state officials, more than 115,000 acres on nearly 800 farms has thus far been preserved.
But this successful program is being threatened by repeated raids on its funding.
In his last three recommended capital budgets, Governor Jack Markell designated just $2 million annually for farmland preservation. In Fiscal Year 2012, he recommended no funding at all.
Under state law, the Farmland Preservation Fund is supposed to receive $10 million annually from the state's Realty Transfer Tax revenue. But that law is being cynically ignored. Lawmakers have tried to restore the funding, sometimes without success.
Agriculture is Delaware’s leading industry and our state needs to maintain a critical mass of farmland to keep it viable. About a quarter of Delaware’s land is already developed. Less than 40-percent remains in farming. Since 2002, Delaware has lost more than 31,000 acres of farmland.
Our state missed an opportunity to get the biggest bang for its buck by not fully funding the program during the Recession, when the growth of development, and the cost of buying permanent easements, was curtailed.
Gov. Markell needs to follow state law and provide Delaware’s Farmland Preservation Program with a predictable source of funding to protect agriculture, the 8-billion dollars in economic activity it generates, and the 30-thousand Delaware jobs it provides.