AB637: Bill Text

AB637,11 Section 11 . 71.613 (2) (d) of the statutes is created to read:

AB637,4,25 71.613 (2) (d) For taxable years beginning after December 31, 2019, $10, if the qualifying acres are subject to sub. (1) (h) 4., but only to the extent that such acres are covered by an agricultural conservation easement purchased under s. 93.73.

AB637,12 Section 12. 71.613 (2e) of the statutes is created to read:

AB637,5,15 71.613 (2e) Indexing for inflation. (a) Except as provided in par. (b), in August 2021, and every August thereafter, the department, in consultation with the department of agriculture, trade and consumer protection, shall increase the dollar amounts in sub. (2) (am), (bm), (cm), and (d) by a percentage equal to the percentage change over the previous 12 months of an index of prices paid by farmers, as determined by the the national agricultural statistics service of the U.S. department of agriculture. The adjustment may occur only if the resulting dollar amounts are greater than the corresponding amounts that were calculated for the previous year. If an adjustment is not made in a previous year due to a negative change in the index, any subsequent adjustment shall be based on the percentage change in the index since August of the year that an adjustment under this paragraph last occurred, except that following a negative change in the index, no adjustment may occur under this paragraph until the current level of the index exceeds the highest level that the index had previously reached.

AB637,5,23 (b) In August 2021, and every August thereafter, if the department is unable to administer the prices paid by farmers approach described in par. (a), the department shall increase the dollar amounts in sub. (2) (am), (bm), (cm), and (d) by a percentage equal to the percentage change over the previous 12 months of the consumer price index for all urban consumers, U.S. city average, as determined by the federal department of labor. The adjustment may occur only if the resulting dollar amounts are greater than the corresponding amounts that were calculated for the previous year.

AB637,13 Section 13 . 91.04 (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB637,6,8 91.04 Department to report. (intro.) At least once every 2 years, beginning not later than December 31, 2011, the department shall submit a farmland preservation report to the joint committee on finance, the standing committees of the legislature with jurisdiction over agriculture under s. 13.172 (3), and the board of agriculture, trade and consumer protection and provide copies of the report to the department of revenue and the department of administration. The department shall prepare the report in cooperation with the department of revenue and shall include all of the following in the report:

AB637,14 Section 14. 91.04 (2) (bm) of the statutes is created to read:

AB637,6,11 91.04 (2) (bm) The amount of the tax credits per qualifying acre, and the recommendations of the department for the tax credit amounts.

AB637,15 Section 15 . 91.10 (7) of the statutes is created to read:

AB637,6,17 91.10 (7) (a) From the appropriation under s. 20.115 (7) (dm) or (tm), the department may award a grant to a city, village, town, county, regional planning commission, or tribal government for implementing a county's certified farmland preservation plan. In determining priorities for awarding grants under this subsection, the department shall first consider requests for grants under sub. (6) (a).

AB637,6,20 (b) The department may award an implementation grant under par. (a) for the costs of any of the following activities in an area that is planned for farmland preservation in a county's certified farmland preservation plan:

AB637,6,22 1. Certifying a farmland preservation zoning ordinance under s. 91.36 for the first time.

AB637,6,23 2. Entering into farmland preservation agreements under s. 91.60.

AB637,7,3 3. Designation of an agricultural enterprise area under s. 91.84 or development of a project to facilitate agricultural preservation and development consistent with s. 91.84 (1) (a) 1.

AB637,7,4 4. Monitoring compliance under s. 91.82.

AB637,7,5 5. Targeted farmland preservation program outreach.

AB637,7,10 (c) The department shall enter into a contract with a city, village, town, county, regional planning commission, or tribal government to which it awards an implementation grant under par. (a) before the department distributes any grant funds to the recipient. In the contract, the department shall identify the costs for the activities under par. (b) that are eligible for reimbursement through the grant.

AB637,7,16 (d) The department may distribute grant funds under this subsection only after the city, village, town, county, regional planning commission, or tribal government shows that it has incurred costs that are eligible for reimbursement under par. (c). The department may not distribute more than 50 percent of the amount of a grant under this subsection for an implementation project under par. (a) prior to the point of completion defined in the contract entered into under par. (c).

AB637,7,18 (e) The department may require a recipient of an implementation grant under par. (a) to contribute matching funds up to 50 percent of the amount of the grant.

AB637,7,20 (f) The department may consider the following factors when awarding grants under par. (a):

AB637,7,23 1. The recipient's demonstrated commitment to implementing the county's certified farmland preservation plan, and the strength of documentation supporting the plan.

AB637,8,3 2. The recipient's demonstrated commitment and capacity to implement and maintain farm conservation practices promulgated by the department under ss. 92.05 (3) (c) and (k), 92.14 (8), and 281.16 (3) (b) and (c).

AB637,8,6 3. The likelihood that activities funded by the grant address goals in the county's certified farmland preservation plan or grow participation in a local farmland preservation program.

AB637,8,8 4. The relative cost-effectiveness of activities funded by the grant in locally implementing the farmland preservation program.

AB637,8,9 5. The timeliness and completeness of plans and applications.

AB637,8,11 6. The recipient's demonstrated cooperation and commitment to manage and implement funded projects.

AB637,8,14 7. A county's annual financial contribution for soil and water resource management programs or funding awarded to county land conservation committees as a part of an annual grant under s. 92.14.

AB637,8,15 8. Any other factor relevant to administering this chapter.

AB637,16 Section 16. 91.62 (1) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB637,8,17 91.62 (1) (a) Specifies a term of at least 15 10 years.

AB637,8,18 (End)