Section 24. (a) There shall be an agricultural lands preservation committee in the department of agricultural resources. The committee shall consist of the commissioner of agricultural resources, who shall be the chair, the secretary of environmental affairs, the director of housing and community development, an appointee from the Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, the chair of the board of agricultural resources or their respective designees and 6 persons to be appointed by the governor, 4 of whom shall be owners and operators of farms within the commonwealth, 1 of whom shall be a representative of a farm advocacy organization and 1 of whom shall be a representative of a land trust organization. Members appointed by the governor shall receive $50 for each day or portion of a day spent in the discharge of their official duties not to exceed $600 annually and shall be reimbursed for the necessary expenses incurred. The state conservationist of the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service shall serve as a nonvoting member.
(b) The committee shall evaluate and accept or reject projects submitted by municipalities. In making such evaluation, the committee shall consider at least the following:
(i) the suitability of land as to soil classification and other criteria for agricultural use;
(ii) the fair market value of the land and the fair market value of the land when used for agricultural purposes as determined by independent appraisals; and
(iii) the degree to which the acquisition would serve to preserve the agricultural potential of the commonwealth.
(c) The commissioner of agricultural resources, subject to the approval of the committee, may establish such rules and regulations as may be deemed necessary to carry out this section. The committee may also provide advice to the commissioner on department policies.
(d) Each member of the committee appointed by the governor shall be appointed for a term of 4 years and shall serve until the member's successor is appointed and qualified. A person appointed to fill a vacancy shall serve for the remainder of the unexpired term of the member creating the vacancy. Members shall be eligible for reappointment.
Copyright ©2024 LegalFix. All rights reserved. LegalFix is not a law firm, is not licensed to practice law, and does not provide legal advice, services, or representation. The information on this website is an overview of the legal plans you can purchase—or that may be provided by your employer as an employee benefit or by your credit union or other membership group as a membership benefit.
LegalFix provides its members with easy access to affordable legal services through a network of independent law firms. LegalFix, its corporate entity, and its officers, directors, employees, agents, and contractors do not provide legal advice, services, or representation—directly or indirectly.
The articles and information on the site are not legal advice and should not be relied upon—they are for information purposes only. You should become a LegalFix member to get legal services from one of our network law firms.
You should not disclose confidential or potentially incriminating information to LegalFix—you should only communicate such information to your network law firm.
The benefits and legal services described in the LegalFix legal plans are not always available in all states or with all plans. See the legal plan Benefit Overview and the more comprehensive legal plan contract during checkout for coverage details in your state.
Use of this website, the purchase of legal plans, and access to the LegalFix networks of law firms are subject to the LegalFix Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.