Item 8. DRAFT Recommendation_ Travis County_ RCPP_Easements - August 2025 — original pdf

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BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Austin-Travis County Food Policy Board Recommendation Number: XXXXXX: Support for engaging in USDA-NRCS Regional Conservation Partnership Program to preserve farmland in Travis County WHEREAS, the 2022 City of Austin State of the Food System Report indicates that less than 0.6% of the food consumed in Travis County is produced locally, and that approximately 16.8 acres of farmland are lost daily to development pressures, underscoring the critical need for dedicated agricultural land preservation efforts; and WHEREAS, land in Austin-Travis County is continuing to increase in value and decrease in quantity, it is imperative to act quickly as the cost of action will only increase over time; and WHEREAS, agricultural lands are vital to local food security, environmental sustainability, emergency preparedness, and climate resilience; and WHEREAS, the Travis County Commissioners Court passed a Resolution of Support for the Austin-Travis County Food Plan on October 29, 2024, whose goals and strategies prioritize addressing local food security and environmental sustainability; and WHEREAS, the Austin/Travis County Food Plan’s Goal 1 prioritizes expanding community food production, preserving agricultural lands, and increasing the amount of farmland dedicated to regenerative food production long-term in Austin and Travis County; and WHEREAS, Strategy 1.1 of the Food Plan calls for the preservation of land for food production in Central Texas through conservation easements, fee-simple purchases, and land-banking, ensuring that farmland remains dedicated to agricultural use; and WHEREAS, Strategy 1.2 directs the City of Austin and Travis County to pursue capital funding sources to finance the conservation of land for agricultural use through conservation easements or direct purchases; and WHEREAS, Travis County has successfully managed agricultural leases on 845 acres of agricultural land through the Parks Land Stewardship Program; and WHEREAS, Travis County currently operates a Conservation Easement Program allowing landowners to preserve agricultural, natural, or cultural resources while retaining ownership of their property. This program, funded by voter-approved bond funds and supplemented by donations, has successfully preserved significant tracts of land and helps protect vital resources such as watersheds, wildlife habitats, and agricultural lands; and WHEREAS, the Conservation Easement Program has been a key tool for Travis County in its efforts to protect land from development, with more than $24.9 million approved by voters between 2011 and 2017 for the purchase of easements. The program prioritizes properties in conservation corridors and those with significant environmental or agricultural value, aligning with the broader goals of the Austin/Travis County Food Plan to protect farmland for regenerative agriculture and promote local food systems; and WHEREAS, the success of the Conservation Easement Program demonstrates that Travis County has the infrastructure in place to effectively support farmland preservation initiatives. This program’s focus on protecting working farms and ranches directly contributes to the County’s goals of promoting sustainable agriculture, local food production, and climate resilience; and WHEREAS, the United States Department of Agriculture-Natural Resource Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) invests in conservation easements through regional partnerships between municipal, county, and nonprofits, and land trusts using the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). WHEREAS, The Texas NRCS RCPP program has ten active agreements in effect in Texas including the Hill Country Headwaters Conservation Initiative, for which the Travis County and the City of Austin Watershed Protection Department are partners; WHEREAS, RCPP Easements program will match up to 50% of the cost of placing conservation easements on property; WHEREAS, the RCPP Easements program allows for the effective bundling of applications for easements on smaller properties helping place conservation easements on properties especially suited to urban agriculture but traditionally challenging to place conservation easements on because of scale issues; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Austin-Travis County Food Policy Board recommends that Travis County expand and build upon the success of the Conservation Easement Program and the Parks Land Stewardship Program by directing county staff to work with regional partners including the City of Austin and land trusts such as the Hill Country Conservancy and Texas Agricultural Land Trust to secure a Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) agreement with the USDA-NRCS for the purpose of preserving agricultural land through conservation easements to safeguard production of locally grown food over the long-term. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Austin-Travis County Food Policy Board recommends that Travis County Commissioners Court earmark $10 Million in future General Obligation Bonds to be used as match for funds obligated through the USDA-NRCS RCPP program to place conservation easements on farmland in eastern Travis County with a high agricultural production potential. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Austin-Travis County Food Policy Board recommends that Travis County Commissioners Court direct county staff to create an interlocal partnership with the City of Austin to jointly fund the match required to access funds through the USDA-NRCS RCPP and to designate Travis’s County’s Conservation Easement Program as the administrator of easements acquired through the RCPP agreement. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Austin-Travis County Food Policy Board recommends that Travis County Commissioners Court direct the staff to create a needs assessment for staffing and resources to manage conservation easements acquisitions of farmland facilitated through the RCPP program. Date of Approval: Record of the vote: Vote in Favor: Vote Against: Abstaining: Absent: