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<br />November 21, 2005 (Regular Meeting) <br /> <br />Page <br /> <br />411 <br /> <br />I. Duties <br />The Advisory Board shall: <br />1. Review and approve applications for qualified farmland and <br />voluntary agricultural districts or Enhanced Voluntary Agricultural <br />Districts and make recommendations concerning the establishment and <br />modification of these agricultural districts; <br /> <br />2. Conduct public hearings; <br /> <br />3. Advise the Board of Commissioners on projects, programs, or issues <br />affecting the agricultural economy or activities within the county <br />that will affect agricultural districts; <br /> <br />4. Review and make recommendations concerning proposed amendments to <br />this ordinance; <br /> <br />s. <br /> <br />Develop a draft county <br />N.C.G.S. ~106-744 (e) <br />Commissioners; <br /> <br />wide farmland protection plan as defined in <br />(1) for presentation to the Board of <br /> <br />6. Study additional methods of farmland preservation and make <br />recommendations to the Board of Commissioners; and <br /> <br />7. Perform other agricultural related tasks or duties assigned by the <br />Board of Commissioners. <br /> <br />ARTICLE VI <br />CREATION OF VOLUNTARY AGRICULTURAL DISTRICTS <br /> <br />A. Regions <br />Cabarrus County is hereby divided into Three (3) regions as defined <br />below: <br /> <br />1. Northwest <br />2. Eastern Cabarrus <br />3 . Midland <br /> <br />B. Implementation <br />In order to implement the purposes stated in Article III, this program <br />provides for the creation of voluntary agricultural districts or Enhanced <br />Voluntary Agricultural Districts which meet the following standards: <br /> <br />1. The District shall contain a minimum of Twenty (20) contiguous <br />acres of qualified farmlandi or <br /> <br />2. The District shall contain Two (2) or more qualified farms within <br />areas designated by the Advisory Board. <br /> <br />All land enrolled in a region, defined in section A, above, shall be part <br />of a single district. If a single farm has acreage in two or more <br />regions, the farm shall participate in the district where the largest <br />acreage is found. <br /> <br />C. Education <br />The county may take such action as it deems appropriate through the <br />Advisory Board or other entities or individuals to encourage the <br />formation of the Districts and to further their purposes and objectives, <br />including the implementation of a public information program to <br />reasonably inform landowners of the agricultural district program. The <br />county may contract with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension to <br />serve as the educational advisor and organization charged with delivering <br />this educational program. <br /> <br />D. Addition and Withdrawal <br />1. Qualifying farmland in a region with an existing district shall be <br />added to the district as herein provided. <br /> <br />2. In the event that one or more participants in the District withdraw <br />and the acreage in the District becomes less than the minimum <br />acreage required or results in the remaining land being <br />noncontiguous, a voluntary agricultural district will continue to <br />exist so long as there is one qualifying farm. <br /> <br />3. Enhanced Voluntary Agricultural Districts require a conservation <br />agreement between Cabarrus County Government and the agricultural <br />producer that cannot be revoked for at least 10 years. <br />