(HARTFORD, CT) – The Connecticut Department of Agriculture (DoAg) and Office of Policy and Management (OPM) today announced the final recommendations of the PA 490 Working Group, concluding an eight-month review of the state’s process for collecting data and establishing recommended land use values under Connecticut’s PA 490 program, and have submitted those recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly for further legislative and regulatory review.
Governor Ned Lamont charged OPM with convening a working group in collaboration with DoAg consisting of agricultural organizations, farmers, municipal leaders, assessors, and state officials to recommend improvements to the state’s data collection, review, and valuation processes. Its final recommendations follow several months of meetings, presentations, public participation, and review of the legal framework, land classifications, valuation methodology, and administration of PA 490.
“Today we reached the conclusion of the working group’s recommendations. These recommendations update PA 490 valuation process to reflect the current time and honor the spirit and intent of the original PA 490 program. I want to thank everyone who took part, the working group members and members of the public who took time to engage in this effort. Your insights, experience, and willingness to come to the table, including our farmers and the many others invested in this issue, were essential to drafting these recommendations,” said Agriculture Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt. “Connecticut is committed to keeping land available for farming, and your contributions have helped shape a path toward that goal. These recommendations will serve as a strong foundation as the legislature and others consider how best to support the future of agriculture in our state.”
“The members of this working group brought an extraordinary amount of practical experience and thoughtful analysis to this process,” OPM Undersecretary Martin Heft said. “The administration will review these recommendations and work with the General Assembly, farmers and landowners, and towns to provide a system that gives assessors reliable information and preserves the long-term strength of PA 490.”
Included in the recommendations is a new annual reporting process for owners of farmland enrolled in PA 490, designed to provide more consistent and reliable information about agricultural land rental values while recognizing the realities of farming operations across Connecticut.
The working group also recommended a new safeguard requiring additional review whenever a proposed land value increases by 20% or more compared with the value established during the previous five-year valuation cycle. In those cases, a review committee consisting of agricultural organizations, farmers, municipal leaders, and assessors would examine the data and determine whether the proposed value is fair and supported by market conditions.
The full recommendation list along with meeting agendas, notes, recordings, presentations, and other materials are available on the OPM PA 490 Work Group webpage.
