§ C-6. Purchase of agricultural conservation easements committee established—Powers and duties.

(a)

Establishment. .....The PACE committee is hereby established, as follows:

(1)

The committee shall consist of five (5) members appointed by the board. Each member shall be a property owner in and a resident of Isle of Wight County. The committee should, but is not required to, be comprised of members who are knowledgeable in the fields of planning, real estate, land appraisal, agricultural lending, farming and forestry and land conservation.

(2)

The members of the committee shall serve at the pleasure of the board. The initial terms of the members shall be as follows: two (2) members shall be for one (1) year; two (2) members shall be for two (2) years; and one (1) member shall be for three (3) years. Each term after the initial term shall be for three (3) years.

(3)

The members of the committee shall serve without pay, but the board may, in its discretion, reimburse members for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of his/her duties.

(4)

The committee shall elect a chairman, vice-chairman and secretary at its first meeting of each calendar year. The secretary need not be a member of the committee.

(5)

The administrator and county agricultural extension agent, the area forester, the director of planning and zoning (or his designee) and a representative of the local soil and water conservation district shall be ex officio members of the committee.

(b)

Powers and duties. .....The PACE committee shall have the powers and duties to:

(1)

Promote the program, in cooperation and under the guidance of the administrator, by providing educational materials to the public and conducting informational meetings;

(2)

Review the ranking of applications recommended by the administrator, and make recommendations to the administrator and the board as to which agricultural conservation easements should be purchased;

(3)

Biannually review the program's eligibility and ranking criteria and recommend to the administrator any changes needed to maintain the program's consistency with the comprehensive plan, or to improve the administration, implementation and effectiveness of the program;

(4)

Appoint committees to assist in the implementation of the program;

(5)

A quorum shall consist of three (3) members present and the committee shall operate on a "majority rule" basis. (5-19-05.)