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Waugh & Wenger Hold Hearing on Bill to Provide
Property Tax Relief for Land Preservation
HARRISBURG -- Senator
Mike Waugh (R-York) and Senator Noah Wenger (R-Lancaster) held a pubic hearing
this week in Hanover on a Senate proposal they are sponsoring to boost farming
and farmland preservation in Pennsylvania. The measure would enable farmers to
receive a property tax rebate as part of the proceeds from the sale of
development rights to their land under the Farmland Preservation Program.
The bill is part of a
comprehensive “Farmers First Agenda” the senators have introduced to promote and
preserve agriculture in Pennsylvania.
At the hearing, the senators
heard testimony from Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff, representatives of
agricultural and land preservation organizations and area farmers.
Waugh and Wenger, who serve as
chairman and vice chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said their
“Farmers First Agenda” also includes a number of measures designed to preserve
farmland, prevent sprawl, help farmers be more competitive and ensure that
agriculture remains Pennsylvania’s top industry.
They received strong support
for their proposal to provide tax relief to landowners who preserve their farm
property.
Created in 1988, the
Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Program provides for easement
purchases under the current Farmland Preservation Program. Farmers may accept
lump sum payments, installments or other payment structures such as exchange of
“like-kind” property.
The property tax rebate
proposal Waugh and Wenger are calling for would provide farmers with a new
option when receiving payment for the sale of conservation easements. Landowners
would have the choice of accepting a rebate on an annual basis for the cost of
property taxes over a period of five to 30 years.
They say the goal is to
encourage the preservation of more open space and farmland. Earlier this year,
the state reached a milestone of 300,000 acres of prime preserved farmland
helping it to maintain its position as a leader in farmland preservation.
 
Waugh
Wenger
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Sen. Mike Waugh, left, and Sen. Noah Wenger, right, held a
public hearing on Tuesday, August 2 at the Hanover Municipal building to
hear testimony on a measure to provide property tax assistance to farmers
who preserve their land. Waugh chairs the Senate Agriculture & Rural
Affairs Committee.
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