Polk Commissioners Learn About Enviornmental Lands Program Success

Polk’s Environmental Lands Program is fiscally sound and making progress as it proceeds into its second phase following a successful 2022 grassroots referendum to renew the property tax to buy and manage more lands, Polk commissioners learned Monday.
The first phase. which emerged from a 1994 referendum, acquired 44 properties totaling 26,000 acres. During that 20-year run, 132 sites were nominated. The lands were purchased using $29.3 million in local funds authorized by the referendum and $81.2million from other partners to stretch the program.
So far under the second phase, 23 of the 31 properties nominated have been recommended for potential acquisition.
Two acquisitions totaling 1,874 acres have already been approved. Others are pending. The program has raised $17 million and has the potential to obtain $31.1 million in partnerships.
Staff members Gaye Sharpe, Polk’s parks and natural resources director, and Tabitha Biehl, land and water resources manager, told commissioners another ley part of the program’s success is the fact that 25 percent of the tax funding is set aside for current and future management costs.
Sharpe said other counties have had to close sites they purchased because they had not set aside money for management.
That management fund, which has increased by $5.6 million under the current program, also allowed Polk’s sites to remain open during the period between the expiration of the first tax referendum and the approval of the second referendum.