Title
Resolution to Amend Ann Arbor City Budget for the Open Space Endowment Fund (Fund 0041) for Fiscal Year 2016 (8 Votes Required)
Memorandum
Attached for your review and approval, please find a resolution to amend the Ann Arbor City Budget for Fiscal Year 2016 for the Open Space Endowment Fund.
The City of Ann Arbor has established an Open Space Endowment Fund to provide for the longer term monitoring and defense of the Greenbelt easements. After each Greenbelt easement closing, $23,866 is transferred to the Open Space Endowment Fund. The fund balance of the Open Space Endowment Fund is currently $698,953.
The total requested budget amendment of $10,000 will cover the 2016 yearly monitoring visits to the forty-eight Greenbelt easement landowners.
As an easement purchaser, the City's regular monitor regimen is essential to avoid potential easement violations and to identify if violations have already occurred. It is the City's obligation to uphold the provisions set forth in each conservation easement. Thus, monitoring will ensure the long-term viability of the land under the easement terms and identify potential management problems in order to rectify the situation. In addition acquisition funding from the U. S. Department of Agriculture's Farm and Ranch Protection Program requires submission of yearly monitoring reports for all funded properties. Yearly contact with landowners promotes good communication and reduces costly easement violations. Monitoring also documents violations in case the City needs to address a violation.
Passage of this Resolution and approval of the fiscal year 2016 budget amendment as prepared is recommended.
Staff
Prepared by: Peg Kohring, The Conservation Fund
Reviewed by: Larry Collins, Interim Community Services Area Administrator
Approved by: Tom Crawford, Interim City Administrator
Body
Whereas, The fund balance of the Open Space Endowment Fund (fund 0041) is $698,953 as of the June 30, 2015 audit...
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