Cecil County Farm Plan Could Put County On a $414K Hook

Cecil County could be on the hook for $414,500 if state rural land preservation funds don’t come through next year for a farmland easement deal backed by three county commissioners. At the least, the county would be fronting $620,000 for the Cecil Land Trust now to buy an easement on the Jacob and Virginia Carson farm located on Route 274 near Rising Sun. About $214,500 from federal farm and ranchland protection funds could be received fairly quickly in Fiscal 2012, as a partial reimbursement to the county. But Cecil Land Trust president William Kilby told the County Commissioners Tuesday “there are no guarantees” that the balance of the cost would be reimbursed by state Rural Legacy Funds and the best-case scenario was that the state money would only be paid out in Fiscal 2013. It was Kilby’s second appearance this month before the County Commissioners to pitch the proposal. (See previous Cecil Times report here: http://ceciltimes.com/2011/05/cecil-county-commissioners-get-earful-from-perryville-mayor-dog-parents/ Kilby’s group has yet to formally apply for either the state or federal aid programs. During his last appearance, two commissioners insisted on seeing a formal written proposal for the project before making any commitments. Kilby presented a two page summary of the plan […]