Governor signs 10 million williamson act bill 102210

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http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/news/x2030534572/Governor-signs-10-million-Williamson-Act-bill

Governor signs $10 million Williamson Act bill

By David Smith, Siskiyou Daily News October 21, 2010

California — In a move rallied by Siskiyou County’s supervisors and agricultural landowners across the state, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Wednesday signed a budget “trailer” bill that will add $10 million to the state’s Williamson Act fund.

Counties in California had long been reimbursed for tax revenue foregone by participation in the Williamson Act, which allows landowners to be taxed on what they produce rather than on the total acreage of land they own, as long as they keep their land preserved from development.

Recent fiscal years saw the statewide budget for the Williamson Act reimbursements virtually disappear, leading a number of counties to consider dropping the program altogether, which would return landowners’ tax rates to a total acreage basis over a 10-year period.

In 2007, according to the California Department of Conservation website, Siskiyou County had 410,992 acres of prime and non-prime lands under Williamson Act contracts.

Out of the $10 million, based on previous divisions of the state funds, county staff have estimated that Siskiyou County’s general fund will receive $200,000