IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING VOTING SESSION WORK SESSION CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL LUZERNE COUNTY COUNCIL WORK SESSION January 10, 2017 Council Meeting Room Luzerne County Courthouse 200 North River Street Wilkes-Barre, PA ADDITIONS TO/DELETIONS FROM WORK SESSION AGENDA ADOPTION OF WORK SESSION AGENDA AGENDA ITEMS COUNTY MANAGER 1. Discussion of Division Reports for November/December... pages 1-19 2. Review of 90 day goals... pages 20-38 3. Discussion of progress on collection of Highland Park TIF... page 39 AGENDA ITEMS COUNTY COUNCIL 4. Discussion of Tax Collection effective January 2018... pages 40-48 5. Discussion regarding resolution authorizing the County Manager and Controller to execute the County commitment of funds from the Agricultural Easement Purchase Program Special Account 514... pages 49-51 6. Reports of Council Committees a. Authorities, Boards, & Commissions (McGinley, Schnee, Sorokas) b. Budget, Finance, & Audit (Houck, Kelleher, McGinley) c. Legislative (Haas, Kelleher, Urban) d. Strategic Initiatives (Williams, Houck, Waitkus, Brominski) e. Blighted Property Review Committee (Haas) PUBLIC COMMENT This is an opportunity for members of the public to address the Council on matters not listed on the Agenda, but which must be within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Council. Speakers are requested to submit a Speaker Card before the first speaker is called and to limit individual comments to three (3) minutes. Speakers may not yield or transfer their time to another speaker. ADJOURNMENT
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AGENDA SUBMITTAL TO LUZERNE COUNTY COUNCIL ITEM TITLE Resolution to authorize the Execution of the Certification of Funds for the Farmland Preservation Program with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture by the Luzerne County Chief Executive Officer and the County Controller. Dept: Contact: Phone: Office of Law Romilda Crocamo 570-825-1695 COUNCIL MEETING DATE January, 2017 AGENDA NUMBER SUMMARY: In order to qualify for State funding for our Farmland Preservation Program, the Department of Agriculture ( the Department ) requires that the County certify the amount of funds representing the interest on real estate taxes recouped when real estate that had been qualified for Clean and Green tax abatement becomes ineligle for the abatement. The Department provides a form of the Certification, which is to be signed by the County Manager and the Controller, and submitted by January 31 or each year to the Department. FINANCING: No additional funds are required for the implementation of this requirement of the Department. DISCUSSION: Luzerne County has established a Farmland Preservation Program under provisions of and with funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture ( the Department ) for the purchase of Farmland Preservation easements. In order to qualify for the funding, which amounted to over $471,000 for fiscal 2016-17, interest collected on previously abated real estate taxes under the County Clean and Green tax abatement program must be set aside by the County for the purchased of agricultural preservation easements. The Department requires that the County certify the amount of funds representing the interest so collected and set aside for the Farmland Preservation Program. The Department provides a form of the Certification, which is to be signed by the Count Manager and the Controller, and submitted by January 31 or each year to the Department. ALTERNATIVES: The County Council may elect not to approve the execution of the Certification of Funds Available. The result would be the loss of eligibility for funding from the Department, and essentially end the County Farmland Preservation Program to the detriment to farm owners, and potentially leading to the permanent loss of local farmland, open space and greenways to development. Luzerne County Council Work Session January 10, 2017 Agenda Page 49 of 51
RESOLUTION R-2017- LUZERNE COUNTY COUNCIL A Resolution by the Luzerne County Council Authorizing the County Manager and Controller to Execute the County Commitment of Funds from the Agricultural Easement Purchase Program Special Account 514 WHEREAS, Luzerne County is a participant in the Agricultural Preservation Program of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture ( the Department ); and WHEREAS, Luzerne County also participates is a Clean and Green tax abatement program; and WHEREAS, Under the terms of the Clean and Green Program, upon real estate that had been approved for the abatement being used or developed in a way that renders the real estate ineligible for the abatement, the County recoups the amount of tax abated, together with interest; and WHEREAS, In order to qualify funding from the Department for the purchase of farmland preservation easements, the interest on the recouped taxes collected by the County is required to be deposited in a special fund, the sole permissible use of which is to be applied to the purchase of farmland preservation easements; and WHEREAS, Prior to designating the amount of funding that the Department will provide to the County Farmland Preservation Program, the County is required to certify the amount of interest collected in the 2016 year and deposited into the Special Account. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the Luzerne County Council approves the execution of the Department s Certification of Funds document by the County Manager and the County Controller, for submission to the Department by January 31, 2017. This resolution shall become effective six days after adoption. ADOPTED at a meeting of the Luzerne County Council held on this the day of, 2017. ROLL CALL VOTE: AYES- NAYS- LUZERNE COUNTY COUNCIL Attest: Sharon Lawrence, Clerk of Council By: Linda McClosky Houck, Chair C. David Pedri, Esq. County Manager Luzerne County Council Work Session January 10, 2017 Agenda Page 50 of 51
CERTIFICATION OF COUNTY FUNDS FOR 2017 PROGRAM YEAR The County Manager of Luzerne County hereby certifies that, at a duly advertised public meeting held on the th day of January, 2017, total funds in the amount of $2,841.31 were appropriated for the 2017 program year beginning January 1, 2017. The purpose of providing the county matching funds is for the purchasing of agricultural conservation easements pursuant to the authority contained in the Act of June 30, 1981 (P.L. 128, No. 43) known as the Agricultural Area Security Law, as amended. It is further certified that such funds have been appropriated by Luzerne County and placed in a restricted account or are reserved exclusively by the county for the purchase of easements. It is further certified that any of these funds that are not expended by the end of December 31, 2018, will be available for use in subsequent fiscal periods for the same purpose. It is further certified that none of these funds will be used to pay administrative costs incurred by the county to purchase agricultural conservation easements, except as permitted under Act 46 of 2006. The total county funds appropriated for the 2017 program year are accumulated from the following sources of revenue: A. Allocation of 2016 County Match Funds from County Revenues: $ B. Total Interest Collected from 2016 County Clean and Green (1+2) $ 2,841.98 Rollback Tax Penalties (please itemize by use): 1. portion to be used for easement purchases: $ 2,841.98 2. portion to be used for monitoring and enforcement, or for conservation planning: $.00 C. Allocation from County Bond fund Revenues: $.00 D. County General Funds used exclusively for IPA Interest. (Non-IPA Counties ignore this item): $.00 E. Accumulated Total Certified County Match funds for 2016: (Total of A, B, C & D) $ 2,841.98 In accordance with Act 156 of 1998, 5490.8(b.1)(b.2), the certified amount indicated above includes all of the interest collected by the county from Clean and Green (Act 319) rollback tax penalties in the previous calendar year. Act 156 requires that this amount be in addition to other local money appropriated by the county for the purchase of agricultural conservation easements. C. David Pedri Esq. County Manager Michelle Bednar County Controller Luzerne County Council Work Session January 10, 2017 Agenda Page 51 of 51