AARC Meeting Minutes

May 14, 2008

 

Present

John Wilhoit, Skip Phillips, Dianne MacDonald, Lori Garkovich, Patti Wilson

 

Guests: Judge Executive John Coyle, Carolyn Oldfield, Preston Lacy

 

 

Update on Cost of Community Services Study

 

Dr. Freshwater sent an update:

 

The first part of the paper on the basic issues of matching revenues and expenditures by local government is finished. This looks at the major sources of funds for local government and the use of general funds rather than the function of specific accounts. It also identifies the relevance of income streams other than the standard property tax, such as user fees, earmarked taxes and income and sales taxes.

 

Review of the AFT methodology and the results from prior COS studies is mostly complete.

 

Discussion of how the Woodford County study extends the AFT approach is half done.

 

Tax data from the PVA office is partially analyzed. The main missing bits are the spatial boundaries for the urban services area, merging the value of the farm household into the rural residential category, and applying appropriate mill rates to the total assessed values to generate the amount of funds raised.

 

To be done in May:

Interviews with county officials to apportion major outlay categories across the land use categories

Development of expenditure data by land use category

Finish constructing revenue by land use category

Finalize the first draft

 

Discussion on the Woodford Rural Land Board

 

Carolyn Oldfield administrator for Thoroughbred Resource Conservation and Development (of the USDA) explained how Scott County adopted an Agricultural Land Preservation Program with $1 million in seed money from the county in less than 18 months. The administration of the conservation easements in Scott County will be in collaboration with the Scott County Conservation District. The Scott County ordinance is based on the Fayette County ordinance, but tailored to the interests and concerns of Scott County farm land owners.

 

The Thoroughbred RC&D is a 501c(3) associated with USDA providing services to Madison, Woodford, Fayette, Scott, Jessamine and Franklin counties.

 

The Woodford Rural Land Board Ad Hoc Committee is to have the following composition:

            2          Farm Bureau members

            2          Local business persons

            2          Local citizens

            1          Person in real estate or development

 

Have had limited applications of volunteers for this committee so the decision is:

 

To request at the May Fiscal Court meeting that the Fiscal Court re-advertise for volunteers for this committee

 

Write a letter to the Editor of the Woodford Sun explaining the purpose of this committee and encouraging people to volunteer and directing them to the Planning Commission web site for applications

 

The AARC will host another workshop on agricultural conservation easements in July to acquaint local leaders and farm land owners with this program. Will request that representatives of the Scott County Fiscal Court and Planning Commission serve on a panel to explain why they felt compelled to adopt this ordinance. Lori will work with Carolyn Oldfield, Preston Lacy and Martha Newby of the Woodford Conservation District to organize this workshop

 

Place a list of interest for local landowners to sign at the Woodford Conservation District. This list of interest indicates that the person signing wants to know more about agricultural conservation easements. When this was done in Scott County, over 200 farm land owners signed.

 

Seek to have submission of proposed ordinance to the Woodford Fiscal Court by September, 2008.

 

Update on Workshop on trail riding and bed and breakfast businesses as opportunities for local land owners

 

Lori has begun identifying participants and will continue to work on developing this workshop

 

Other information

 

Lori noted a report by Norm Luba of the Kentucky Quarter Horse Association on the changes that have occurred as a result of the state breeders incentive fund which allocates 7% of funds from sales/use tax on stallion service fees to nonracing breeds

 

The goals of the Kentucky Quarter Horse Association Breeders Incentive Fund are:

            To increase the value of Kentucky-bred quarter horses

            To stimulate economic development

            To increase the quality of Kentucky-bred quarter horses

 

In September, 2005 before the incentive fund was implemented, there were 50 Quarter Horse stallions standing in Kentucky.

 

As of September 1, 2007 there were 600 Quarter Horse stallions standing in Kentucky

 

In September of 2006, the KY Quarter Horse Association received $308,000 in state incentive funds based on the number of Quarter Horse stallions in Kentucky. In September, 2007, they will receive $440,000.

 

 

Summary of a research paper on "Recreational demand for trail riding" by Dr. Melanie Blackwell

 

This is an analysis of 189 surveys completed by trail riders at trails, club meetings and on-line. All respondents had used a trail at least once to receive a survey

 

Trail riding is an activity that requires transportation, feed, hay, water, equipment and in Kentucky, trail riders must share multi-use trails with others. Typically, trails are not valued in and of themselves, but for the recreation that can occur on them

 

The analytic model:

 

Dependent variable

Number of annual visits by trail rider to a particular system of trails

 

Independent variables

Trip costs estimated by:

            The site as defined by the zip code of the trail head

            Starting zip code of the rider

One way distance traveled

One way trip time

Number of single day trips per year

Number of overnight trips per year

            By type of lodging

                        Camping on site             Camping nearby

                        Cabin                                        Hotel

Site characteristics (Index of % of available site characteristics)

            Loop trail                                               Water available

            Trail markers                                         Back country camping available

            Trail length greater than 15 miles Full service camping available

            Scenic overlook                                    

Gender

Income

Education

Age of rider

Willingness to rent a horse to ride at trail head

 

Results

 

Variable                                                                        Mean

No. trips/year                                                                 10.8

Distance traveled                                                           66.36 miles

Time traveled                                                                 83 minutes

If stayed overnight, avg # of nights stayed             1.69 nights

Site characteristics index average                                   69.81%

Gender                                                                          65% female

Age                                                                              45.3 years

Education                                                                      More than high school

Income (household)                                                        $65,000

 

For every 8 miles closer the trail to the trail rider, their visits to the trail will increase by 1

 

By enhancing existing trail attributes, you can increase the number of trail riders

 

Locating new trails near population centers will substantially increase usage

 

Design new trails with as many of the desired characteristics as possible to maximize attraction to riders

 

If horse rentals are provided, you will attract riders who, in the absenceof rentals, will use trails rarely