Sacramento County Supervisors will determine fate of the Williamson Act

Governor Schwarzenegger, in attempt to balance the state’s budget, blue-penciled the state money to support the Williamson Act for the current budget year. The Williamson Act subvention program, enacted in 1971, sets a state reimbursement formula for allocating payments to local governments based on acreage enrolled in the program. The money county governments received from the state helped offset the loss property tax revenue for land enrolled in the program. While, provisions of the Act remain in effect; it is the uncertainty of what individual counties will do in response to the Governor’s actions because now the entire fiscal responsibility is up to the counties.

Sacramento County Board of Supervisors has yet to determine whether they will be renewing contracts. If they choose to renew contracts in Sacramento County it means about $500,000 to the county budget; a small price to pay for the protection of thousands of acres of agriculture land in the county.

If your land is in enrolled in the Williamson Act be aware of your mailbox towards the end of the year as contracts are automatically renewed for 10 years on January 2nd. If you receive a notice of non-renewal, you should file a written notice of protest immediately. If a Williamson Act contract is terminated by way of non-renewal there are three ways that it can be accomplished.

1. If a landowner gives 90 days notice prior to the renewal/anniversary date (January 1 of each year), the property taxes start escalating to the Prop. 13 value immediately.
2. If the county gives 60 days notice to the landowner, and the landowner doesn’t file a written protest, then the property taxes start escalating to the Prop. 13 value immediately.
3. If the county gives 60 days notice to the landowner, and the landowner files a written protest, then the property taxes do not start escalating to the Prop. 13 value until there are less than six years remaining on the contract.

Farm Bureau is working to seek restoration of the state funding in 2009-10 budget. Until then we encourage you to file a written protest if your contract is at its anniversary date or if you are sent a notice of non-renewal.

Since starting the Blueprint project in 2002, the Sacramento region has taken a new approach to addressing transportation, land use, and air quality issues. The metropolitan Transportation Plan for 2035, adopted in March 2008, is underpinned by Blueprint principles supported by local jurisdictions and addresses evolving transportation needs. Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) is now looking at rural land use issues in more detail in a project called the -Urban Connections Strategy (RUCS). RUCS is a complimentary effort to the Blueprint and mitigation requirement of the MTP2035 EIR. The project is a look at the region's growth and sustainability objectives from a rural perspective. In the same way that Blueprint is an economic development strategy for urban areas, the RUCS project will be an economic and environmental sustainability strategy for rural areas.

New information regarding registering 50 or greater horsepower diesel engines. The Farm Bureau is urging farmers and ranchers to register their 50 or greater horsepower engines with the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District. Click here for the fact sheet and registration fee information.

Sacramento County Farm Bureau is engaged in responding to the Blue Ribbon Task Force strategic plan. On file are letters written by the Farm Bureau commenting on the Delta issues.