A Subcommittee of the House Local Government Subcommittee met this week to recommend the full committee consider House Bill 2189 (Ross-R-Chester), which amends an act providing for local taxing options for land trusts.

Under the bill a governing body of a local government may, for the public benefit, appropriate money to a land trust for the acquisition or conservation and preservation of interests in real property for the purpose of achieving open space benefits.

The bill was returned to the full committee with the recommendation that it be amended to better distinguish between a land trust and a local land trust. The amendment clarifies that money can be appropriated to either a land trust or a local land trust, however, revenue raised under section 7.1 of the Open Space Law must be used by a local land trust within the local government unit. The amendment also grants local government units the authority to create land trusts and adds definitions.

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Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful

GreenTreks Networks

Lancaster Farmland Trust

9/24/2004