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Agland preservation good deal for Sussex

June 5, 2018

One quotation has appeared in Cape Gazette editorials more than any other over the years. After building one of his trademark residences on the brow of a hill in Arizona overlooking a pristine landscape, famed American architect Frank Lloyd Wright despaired as he watched contractors marching industrial-strength electrical infrastructure across his view. You could almost hear his deep sigh: "If you want the view, you have to buy the view."

That could hardly be more aptly applied to anywhere in this country than Sussex County. In presenting his $177 million Fiscal Year 2019 budget proposal recently, County Administrator Todd Lawson said building-related revenue is up more than $3 million this year compared to last. Real estate transfer tax revenue has increased every year since 2011 - following the economic crash - from $14.3 million to $30.2 million in 2018. Sussex Finance Director Gina Jennings expects those revenues to increase by another $2 million in the next fiscal year. Those increases are driven by growth: in the number of lots being sold and new homes being built and sold, and in rising value of existing homes being sold.

There's a lot to like about Sussex, and our permissive zoning and low taxes make development here relatively easy. But if we don't buy more of the view, whether through outright purchases or by purchasing conservation easements, we will be lamenting as did Frank Lloyd Wright.

The good news is that the new Sussex County budget earmarks $1 million for open space preservation, and this year the county opted to get back into supporting the state's agricultural land preservation program. Given rapid growth, it should be three times that much. Regardless, that is money that will be well spent.

Every county dollar put into agland preservation leverages several matching dollars from state and federal programs.

Smart partnerships and great bang for the buck. Agland preservation provides a double benefit in terms of preserving open space and sustaining an industry vital to Sussex and Delaware.

 

 

  • Editorials are considered and written by Cape Gazette Editorial Board members, including Publisher Chris Rausch, Editor Jen Ellingsworth, News Editor Nick Roth and reporters Ron MacArthur and Chris Flood. 

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