Date: Fri 20-Mar-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

council-land-trust-Schmidle

Full Text:

Council Creates A Line Item For A Town Land Trust

BY STEVE BIGHAM

People like the late Josephine Holcombe are more the exception than they are

the rule.

Mrs Holcombe, a millionaire when she died more than a year ago, willed the

majority of her Great Hill Road estate to the Newtown Forest Association. Most

residents, however, are not in the position to simply give their land away.

They must put their property on the market and a developer usually comes along

and buys it out.

Mae Schmidle of Echo Valley Road believes Newtown needs a public land trust to

enable the municipality to consider the acquisition of certain parcels of land

as they become available for sale.

"If someone wants to sell their land, they could sell it to the land trust,

then the land trust could decide the best use for it," she said.

Mrs Schmidle proposed the land trust idea to the Legislative Council last week

and requested that the board put a minimal amount of money in the budget in an

effort to get things rolling. In response, the council voted, 7-5, to create a

$1 line item in the budget Tuesday night.

First Selectman Herb Rosenthal said the town created a similar fund for open

space 20 years ago, which has grown to between $70,000-$90,000.

Mrs Schmidle believes having the ability to buy available land will "help

promote orderly, responsible growth, promote savings in future town

expenditures and provide personal and environmental benefits to our residents

that will be realized by many future generations to come."

The land trust would also have the flexibility to manage land acquisition,

accept monetary gifts or donations of securities and/or stocks.

"The town is truly blessed with the Newtown Forest Association and its

contributions of open space to the town, but it can only accept land with deed

restrictions," Mrs Schmidle said.

The land trust would be created with specific duties and powers and

responsibilities and administered by a commission comprised of Newtown

residents.

In addition to contributions, Mrs Schmidle said the land trust would be built

up in taxes, with each household paying a minimal amount annually, say $10.

As for the tax expense to the town, Mrs Schmidle said there is a state statute

that allows for farm, forest and open space land to be taxed cheaply.

"It would take a long time to build up the land trust, but there are people in

town already looking to make donations," Mrs Schmidle said. "I think this

would be an answer to a lot of the problems that we now have."

In a 1996 non-binding referendum, residents voted against possible funding in

the budget to purchase open space, 272 to 216.