Board of Assessors Review Conservation Use Procedures

The Jasper County Board of Tax Assessors, including new appointees John Graham and Jody Cla-born, spent Tuesday afternoon discussing and reviewing conservation use (CU) procedures during a lengthy work session in the Courthouse Law Library.

For the first of more than four hours, deputy chief appraiser Lynn Bentley joined certified assessors Jim Harrell, Cathy Benson, and Gerald Bramblett in a discussion of office formats for conservation use applications.

A considerable amount of time was dedicated to trying to clarify the boundaries of bona fide agricultural uses as it would apply to CU applicants and their property.

Mrs. Bentley expressed that property owners, whether of large or small tracts, should actively be doing something in relation to agriculture to be considered for the 10-year tax exemption.
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Chairman Harrell had three issues that the board would need to address during a meeting when action could be taken. The first was that of adding a field review form to the application procedure.

He also raised the question of having the Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR) personnel certify applications with wildlife habitats as a qualifying use on 30 acres or less. Conservation use as it applies in subdivisions was noted by the chairman.

Mr. Harrell also said that CU covenants granted prior to 2005 would maintain that status for their 10-year term but that when and if new guidelines are implemented CU renewals would be subject to the updated guidelines.

Following the discussion, the certified assessors began an initial review of the 2006 CU applications submitted.

Appointees Messrs. Graham and Claborn are scheduled to take the assessor certification course in July.