Cows don’t call 911,
Nor do fruit trees or cornfields.
Why we need farmland preservation.
Some think that there is advantage to promoting, or acceding to, development of our open spaces with new housing.
I, for one, question this approach.
While we need to prepare for and to accommodate a growing population in our county, we need to do so with care and an eye to protection of features that make our county so special, so attractive to long-term residents, to newcomers as well as seasonal visitors.
Some may think that encouragement of new housing will build the tax base, and therefore provide greater tax revenues. This may well be true, but such developments also bring costs.
Higher human populations invariably bring higher demands for services, from police and fire to EMS, road maintenance and social services. On the other hand, small business, light industry and agricultural interests generate proportionally smaller demands for county services.
As residents of Leelanau County, we should continue to seek to find and maintain a balance between the various qualities of our area. We should seek to maintain what is wonderful and appealing while preparing for inevitable growth. A healthy community reflects and honor’s its heritage, encourages and nurtures growth, while seeking to channel or manage such growth.
The ability to use these funds to leverage Federal and State grants is an added bonus. We will get to bring some Federal and State tax dollars back to our county.
The average cost per homeowner of this proposal is really quite modest, and years from now we’ll be able to reflect on what has been achieved and we’ll be pleased with ourselves for having such foresight.
I suggest a visit to www.saveleelanaufarmland.com for much more information.
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