Blaine County will hire an outside consultant to help establish an advisory board to make recommendations on how to use nearly $3.5 million in public funding to protect local open space.
The money will be raised as part of Proposition 1, or the "Land, Water and Wildlife Levy," which Blaine County voters approved in November. The measure will temporarily increase property tax levy rates to generate funds for the preservation of private open-space lands in select locations throughout the county.
Under the two-year levy, the average county homeowner will see his or her annual property taxes increase by $50, based on the county's median home value of $436,000.
The idea for the levy was hatched by four local nonprofits: the Idaho Conservation League, Wood River Land Trust, The Nature Conservancy and Citizens for Smart Growth.
In a unanimous vote on Tuesday, the Blaine County Commissioners agreed to hire private conservation consultant Sandra Tassel of Look at the Land Inc.
Tassel, who according to county documents charges $80 per hour for her time, will help the county determine the role of the advisory board and how its members would be appointed. Local conservation groups have agreed to provide $5,500 to help pay for Tassel's time.
The County Commissioners still must develop and vote on a contract with Tassel.
Having someone with expertise in conservation efforts similar to the "Land, Water and Wildlife Levy" will help ensure that the public's money is used in the best manner possible, County Commissioner Larry Schoen said.
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"This is important that we do this the right way," he said.
At some point in the future, the county will advertise for potential participants from the local community who could sit on the land advisory board. The board will recommend ways to use the funds to achieve optimal conservation value and public benefits.
Areas identified for possible preservation efforts with the levy money include the Big Wood River corridor, the Silver Creek and south Bellevue Triangle area, and the Little Wood River watershed stretching from the Little Wood Reservoir dam north to the Sawtooth National Forest boundary.
Officials have also discussed using the funds generated by the levy to help buy development rights as part of the county's transfer-of-development-rights program. The program allows landowners in specified areas of the county to sell their rights to develop their land to landowners in other areas that the county has identified as being appropriate for denser subdivision development.
The local open space levy was modeled after a similar one approved by Boise voters in 2001. As of the end of 2007, the $10 million levy had preserved 3,198 acres of open space in the Boise foothills.
Jason Kauffman: jkauffman@mtexpress.com
