A.   The Ingham County Board of Commissioners shall create an eight member body under this Ordinance, to be named the Ingham County Agricultural Preservation Board.  The Ingham County Board of Commissioners shall annually appoint one Ingham County Commissioner to serve on the Ingham County Agricultural Preservation Board as a non-voting liaison member.  The seven voting members shall be residents of Ingham County and will be appointed by the Ingham County Board of Commissioners and will include: (a) one member of the public at large, (b) three individuals with agricultural interests, (c) one representative from township government, (d) one individual with real estate or development interests, and (e) one individual representing conservation interests. 

 B.   Members of the Ingham County Agricultural Preservation Board shall serve three-year staggered terms.  The initial term shall be staggered so that one of the agricultural representatives, the public at large representative, and the real estate representative serve an initial one-year term, another agricultural representative and the local township representative serve an initial two-year term, and the third agricultural representative and the local conservation representative serve an initial three-year term.  Members may be re-appointed to successive three-year terms by the Ingham County Board of Commissioners.  The Ingham County Board of Commissioners shall have the discretion to remove members for inefficiency, neglect of duty, malfeasance in office, or other good cause.  Vacancies due to removal or resignation shall be filled for the remainder of a term by appointment by the Ingham County Board of Commissioners.  Compensation or reimbursement of expenses may be granted to members of the Ingham County Agricultural Preservation Board, in the discretion of the Ingham County Board of Commissioners.

 C.   The Ingham County Agricultural Preservation Board shall oversee Ingham County=s Farmland Preservation Program and shall be responsible for:

 i.          Establishing selection criteria for the ranking of applications to the program.  The selection criteria must be approved by the Ingham County Board of Commissioners prior to each application cycle. 

ii.         Establishing a points-based appraisal formula for determining the value of the agricultural conservation easements, which shall be subject to the approval of the Ingham County Board of Commissioners. 

iii.        Reviewing and providing oversight in scoring all applications according to the adopted selection criteria.

iv.        Ranking the top scoring applications for acquisition and making recommendations to the Ingham County Board of Commissioners for the purchase of development rights.
 
v.         Approving the restrictions and permitted uses under the agricultural conservation easement.

vi.        Establishing the price to be offered to the property owner, and authorizing negotiations for the purchase of development rights and placement of an agricultural conservation easement.  All purchases of development rights must be approved by the Ingham County Board of Commissioners.

vii.   Establishing monitoring procedures and overseeing subsequent monitoring to ensure compliance with the agricultural conservation easement.  Enforcement of the agricultural conservation easement in the case of non-compliance shall be the responsibility of the Ingham County Board of Commissioners.

 D.  Individual Ingham County Agricultural Preservation Board members shall promptly disclose any potential conflict of interest, and may not vote when a conflict exists.  Conflicts of interest include, but are not confined to, situations where (1) the board member is the applicant; (2) the member is a close relative of the applicant; (3) the board member has a close business association or ties with the applicant; (4) the board member, a relative, or a business associate could receive financial gain or benefit from the acceptance of the application.

 E.   To the extent of available funding and as approved by the Ingham County Board of Commissioners after consultation with the Ingham County Agricultural Preservation Board, Ingham County may contract with qualified and experienced individuals or entities for consulting or staffing services.

 F.   The Ingham County Agricultural Preservation Board shall provide the Ingham County Board of Commissioners an annual report outlining the administration of the program, issues addressed and outcomes of the program for the preceding year, including the selection criteria, number of applications, number of eligible properties, agricultural value, development rights purchased, and other information regarding the status and activities undertaken with respect to this Ordinance.