Houghtaling, Downey Measures to Fund Farmland Preservation Projects in NJ Now Law

(TRENTON) - The four-bill legislative package sponsored by Assembly Democrats Adam Taliaferro, John Burzichelli, Eric Houghtaling, Bob Andrzejczak, Troy Singleton, Joann Downey, Vince Mazzeo and Andrew Zwicker to invest in the preservation of farmland is now law.

The bill package expends voter-approved funds which are dedicated through the 2017 budget and corporation business tax revenues. Each bill was unanimously approved by the legislature earlier this year and was signed into law by the Governor on Monday.

The first bill (A-4580), appropriates $2.9 million from the "Farmland Preservation Fund" for farmland preservation grants to the following nonprofit organizations: Lamington Conservancy, Monmouth Conservation Foundation, New Jersey Conservation Foundation, and The Land Conservancy of New Jersey.

The grants could be used to cover up to 50 percent of the cost of acquisition of development easements on farmland for farmland preservation purposes, or up to 50 percent of the cost of acquisition of fee simple titles to farmland for resale or lease with agricultural deed restrictions approved by the State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC).

The second bill (A-4581), sponsored by Houghtaling, Andrzejczak, Singleton and Downey, appropriates $22.4 million to the State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC) for farmland preservation purposes. More than half of the allocation will be used to pay the cost of acquisition of development easements on, or fee simple titles to, farmland, and provide grants to counties, municipalities and qualifying nonprofit organizations for part of the acquisition cost of fee simple titles to farmland, for farmland preservation projects approved as eligible for such funding.

"The state benefits from having a healthy agricultural industry," said Houghtaling (D-Monmouth). "Preservation ensures there is ample land for food production."

"Farming operations are expensive," said Downey (D-Monmouth). "This provides the financial resources to help farmers in New Jersey continue to grow their businesses and thrive."

The third bill (A-4582) appropriates $32.5 million to the SADC from dedicated corporation business tax revenues pursuant to the State Constitution's Preserve New Jersey Farmland Preservation Fund for the purpose of providing planning incentive grants to counties for up to 80 percent of the cost of acquisition of development easements on farmland for farmland preservation purposes.

Under the newly signed laws, 13 counties (Bergen, Burlington, Cumberland, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Salem, Somerset, Sussex, Warren) would each receive a "base grant" of either $500,000 or $1 million. These counties, plus Atlantic, Camden, Cape May, Ocean, and Passaic, would also be eligible to compete to receive an additional grant from the "competitive grant fund" in an amount not to exceed $5 million.

The fourth bill (A-4584) appropriates $7.5 million to the SADC for planning incentive grants to municipalities for farmland preservation purposes. This will provide grants ranging from $250,000 to $500,000 to the following 19 municipalities in Cumberland, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Monmouth, Salem, Somerset and Warren counties.