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 Culpeper County
 Code of Ordinances
 Appendix D. AGRICULTURAL LANDS PRESERVATION

  § 9. Review of Applications by Committee.  

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  • (a)

    The Committee shall evaluate each application, using the criteria of the farmland ranking system set forth in section 12, and shall ascertain all necessary facts and information for ranking the priority of acquisition of the lands included in the application. In performing such evaluation, the Committee shall refer the application to the Culpeper County Planning Commission for review and comment, and may request the assistance of other County departments and agencies as may be appropriate and beneficial. The Planning Commission shall consider, among other things, compliance with the Culpeper County Comprehensive Plan in evaluating any application. The Committee evaluation shall include a recommendation for the number of farmland ranking system points to be assigned to each application. The Committee shall, at a regular or special meeting called for such purpose, review applications and evaluations and shall make a determination of farmland ranking system points to be assigned to each application. Its determination shall be final and non-appealable. In the event of disagreement among the members of the Committee as to the number of points to be assigned to a given application, each member shall state the number of points he believes should be assigned and the average number of points so obtained, rounded upwards to the nearest point, and shall constitute the action of the Committee. The secretary of the Committee shall promptly transmit a copy of the evaluation and a report of the Committee's action to the County Administrator within one hundred twenty (120) days of receipt of the application. The evaluation shall include a recommendation for the number of farmland ranking system points to be assigned to the application.

    (b)

    All discussion and deliberation concerning the evaluation of applications and assigning of points shall be conducted in open session, notwithstanding any contrary provision of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.

    (c)

    No member of the Committee shall be disqualified from selling the development rights on any parcel in which he has a financial interest by reason of his membership, but such transactions shall be governed by the Virginia State and Local Government Conflict of Interests Act.

    (d)

    In the event that available funding is insufficient to purchase the development rights on properties which are the subject of pending applications, the Committee evaluation shall remain valid for one year. Any evaluation over one year old shall be void, and would have to be redone prior to any action to acquire development rights.