Montco Designates $1.18M for 2024 Farmland Preservation Efforts

Rachel Ravina | The Reporter•

The farmland preservation program purchases agricultural easements on operating farmland in Montgomery County.

More than $1.8 million for farmland preservation efforts in 2024 throughout Montgomery County were earmarked by elected officials last week.

Committing funds for the county’s Farmland Preservation Manager was among the items on the agenda of the Montgomery County Commissioners’ first meeting of 2024.

Planning Manager Anne Leavitt-Gruberger began her address to the commissioners offering some background information on the initiative that began in 1990, with the first farm preservation recorded in 1992. Since then, $122 million has been amassed to preserve 186 farms, totaling nearly 10,500 acres.

The program relies on a combination of local, county and state funds, according to Leavitt-Gruberger, who said in her presentation that the "county purchases the development rights on farms.” The 2024 term required a $1,189,000 pledge.

"(I’ve) taken some time to get to know this program. It’s super impressive,” said Montgomery County Commissioners’ Chairwoman Jamila Winder.

In addition, the resolution stipulates $4,000 will go to the Montgomery County Conservation District, with those funds designated to "assist with the statutorily required annual inspections of each preserved farm, with the remainder of the funds to be used for the purchase of agricultural preservation easements.”

Commissioners also authorized more than $882,000 in contract agreements during the Jan. 11 meeting. The nine-item package included agreements related to several departments including Assets and Infrastructure, Information and Technology Solutions, Public Safety, and Purchasing.

A roughly $356,109 agreement with Infor (US) Inc., of Alpharetta, Georgia, covered cloud-based maintenance services for the county’s financial systems. The one-year contract is slated to take effect on March 14 and remain valid until March 13, 2025.

A $145,000 agreement with Staples Contract and Commercial Inc. of Framingham, Massachusetts, was also reached, which procured a "limited list of office supplies through an online ordering system” for county offices in 2024. The contract was devised through a Sourcewell cooperative contract.

A $125,000 agreement with Waste Management of Pennsylvania Inc., of Philadelphia, was renewed, securing removal services for trash and recyclables at county-owned properties.

The next Montgomery County Board of Commissioners meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Jan. 25 on the eighth floor of One Montgomery Plaza, 425 Swede St. in Norristown. Those interested in attending the meeting can also do so virtually. Visit montgomerycountypa.gov for more information.

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