(Archived from March 20, 2012):
Last
night the Anne Arundel County Council passed the final reading on Bill
1-12, which exempts most agricultural buildings from the requirement
that they obtain building permits.
In
addition to passing the bill, the council voted 5 to 1 in favor of an
amendment that removes the 12,000 square foot size limitation on exempt
buildings. This was the third amendment sought and won by the farm
community, and the only amendment that required the council to override
the will of the county executive and the director of Inspections and
Permits. Councilman Trumbauer had supported our earlier amendments and
supported the overall bill, but voted against last night's amendment.
We owe a special thanks to the following people:
Councilman Jerry Walker
not only introduced our amendments but very effectively countered the
arguments of the director of Inspections and Permits through careful
cross-examination.
Builder David Cross, of R and D Cross
in Brandywine, testified very effectively about the structural
integrity and code compliance of the many farm buildings that he
constructs and compared the permitting processes throughout the southern
Maryland counties that he serves.
Vice President Milly Welsh filled in very effectively for Anne Arundel County Farm Bureau President Jeff Griffith who has supported this effort on behalf of the board and membership, but was needed at a funeral last night.
It
should be noted by all farm owners that we must still construct our
buildings in compliance with county code, and that if buildings are
designed for public use they are not exempt from the building permit.
Electrical and plumbing must also be done to code and should be
inspected. We also are not eligible for this exemption unless we have a
current Farm Plan with Soil Conservation. Get your plan, sign your
Cooperator Agreement, and then note that Soil Conservation is obligated
under that agreement to provide engineering services for your farm
practices.
Another
amendment was presented to the council yesterday to include in the list
of exempt buildings those that house value-added agricultural practices
for the processing of crops grown on the farm. The amendment was
particularly designed to address wineries, because some county officials
have argued that a winery is not an agricultural building.
Unfortunately, the wording of the amendment allowed for
misinterpretation and it did not pass. Most of the council members,
however, expressed support for the intent of the amendment and promised
to present a revised bill in the future to clarify that wineries and
other buildings used to process farm products are in fact agricultural
and should be exempt.
Congratulations
to everyone who has contributed to this effort since it began in June.
Our next step is to address the issue of grading permits and the role of
soil conservation versus the role of Inspections and Permits on our
farms. We plan a meeting of state and county officials on that topic
soon. Stay tuned.
Steuart Pittman
Dodon Farm, Davidsonville
410-507-3351
No comments:
Post a Comment