City of Geneva City Council met March 2.
Here is the minutes provided by the council:
Agenda Item 11. Municipal Bills for Payment
1) Hitchcock,$3,121.50
Q: Has the full contractual amount been paid?
A: No, the full contract amount is $273,400. With the subject invoice paid, the total amount billed is $156,732.29 and the remaining balance is $116,667.71.
2) PriceConsulting,$4,812.50
Q: Has the full contractual amount been paid?
A: No, $9,035.72 of $18,000 has been invoiced to date for the rate study.
Agenda Item 12. Committee of the Whole Items of Business
a. Approve Resolution 2020-14 Authorizing Execution of a Farm Lease with Pitstick Farms for a Farm Lease at a Rate of $261 per Tillable Acre for the 2020 and 2021 Crop Seasons.
Q: The U.S. Department of Agriculture through the State of Illinois offers a variety of conservation programs for Illinois farmland. Have we investigated any of these programs (CRP, SAFE, etc.) to see if we would be eligible and what level of revenue would be generated by taking the 245 acres out of annual crop production?
A: Following the Feb. 18 Committee of the Whole meeting, staff contacted the USDA regarding the question stated above:
State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement Initiative (SAFE) – Kane County is not a SAFE area; therefore, the City is not eligible for the program.
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQUIP) – The City is not eligible as a unit of government. This would apply to all EQUIP programs.
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) – A land conservation program administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA). In exchange for yearly rental payment, farmers enrolled in the program agree to remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and plant species that will improve environmental health and quality.
o Land must be cropland (corn or soybean) that is planted four of the six crop years from 2012 to 2017. The City would qualify as we have had a farmer planting such crops during that time.
o The enrollment period is from Dec. 9, 2019, to Feb. 28, 2020. It is anticipated the next enrollment period would begin again in December 2020.
o FSA ranks each eligible offer in comparison to all other offers. No guarantee of a contract.
o This is a highly competitive program, so even if granted in a previous year not guaranteed an offer in future years.
o Contracts are 10 to 15 years in length, but every year is a new commitment and eligibility is not guaranteed.
o If eligible and selected in lottery, anticipated annual payment $205/per acre assuming compliance with specific program guidelines.
https://www.geneva.il.us/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_03022020-1581
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