HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014 1007 OSTB joint BOCC reg minutes_ex A_B Exhibit A- 10/07/2014 OSTB Regular Session Minutes
Agricultural Lease Bid Process
October 7, 2014
Introduction:
Pitkin County Open Space & Trails (OST)was established by the voters of Pitkin County in
1990 with the following mission;
"...to acquire,preserve, maintain and manage open space properties
for multiple purposes including but not limited to recreational,
wildlife, agricultural, scenic and access purposes... "
Since OST's inception the program has acquired several properties totaling approximately 240
acres with an active agricultural component. Until recently, OST properties have been leased
purely in exchange for general management and stewardship. We are now realizing a modest
lease payment on one property. At the same time, there is a burgeoning interest in local food
production in our valley. OST wishes to stimulate interest in local production while continuing
to maintain and enhance our agricultural resources. To that end, we invite a competitive process
to determine the best lessees for our agricultural lands.
The purpose of this document is to guide OST staff in selecting an appropriate tenant or lessee to
manage OST fee owned lands. The agricultural lease bid process will be developed with public
input to ensure the process works for a variety of users. This process shall be periodically
reviewed and revised as needed to account for newly acquired unique properties, developments
and new techniques for farming and ranching, desires of the community, and other similar
reasons.
Administration
Procurement Process
In creating a competitive process, we are guided by the Pitkin County procurement code, which
is intended to;
"...provide procurement procedures that will promote competition and maximize the purchasing
power of public funds, increase organizational effectiveness, efficiency and accountability, and
fair and equitable treatment of all persons participating... "
The Pitkin County Procurement Code shall guide our agricultural lease processes. As provided
for in the Procurement Code, Request for Proposals (RFP)will be used to solicit bids for
available agricultural properties as identified by OST staff
The RFP will include information regarding the sample lease language, boundaries, existing
infrastructure, water rights, agricultural history, etc... of the agricultural parcel being offered.
Lease language will vary from tenant to tenant based on the operation proposed and parcel.
Exhibit A- 10/07/2014 OSTB Regular Session Minutes
Potential lessees will be evaluated on a set of criteria developed by OST staff and must have a
physical address within at least 45 miles of the leased property to ensure the lessee is a Roaring
Fork Valley Resident or in close proximity. The criteria are intended to extract enough
information from the potential lessee to determine that the practices and operation proposed will
be the best fit for the property and enhance the conservation values.
Evaluation Criteria
Please describe the operation you propose for this property with as much detail as possible.
Please include the following; (.65 / 1.0)
o Practices that conserve soil, native vegetation, resources.
■ Water management/irrigation plan, water conservation techniques
planned for the property, etc...
o Duration of lease to accomplish agricultural goals i.e. X years are required
before production goal is met.
o Agricultural product and the proposed market for your product. If you plan
to manage an organic operation, please describe your experience in organic
production.
o Any potential alteration to the leased ground and how the leased ground will
be returned to Pitkin County upon the termination of lease.
• If applicable, have you previously leased property from OST?
If yes;
o Which property and which dates did you lease the property?
o What issues, if any, did you encounter during the duration of the lease?
If you are currently involved in other agricultural enterprises,briefly describe the
operation(s). Include general locations. (.05 / 1.0)
How will the Pitkin County agricultural land you are proposing to lease, fit in with your
operation? (.05 / 1.0)
Please describe your agricultural background. (.05 / 1.0)
Please list the machinery and equipment needs for your planned operation on the property
and how you will meet those needs. (Own, lease, borrow, hire, etc.) (.05 / 1.0) —
Describe how you will meet the labor demands for the proposed operation. Are you 1
involved in your agricultural enterprises on a full-time basis? If not, what percentage of
your time is dedicated to agricultural pursuits? (.05 / 1.0)
Please provide personal references that are familiar with your agricultural experience. (.05 /
1.0)
Based on your operation, what would be a reasonable lease fee (monetary or other) for the
property? (.05 / 1.0)
Any monetary fees received by OST in exchange for an agricultural lease will be invested back
into OST agricultural properties. This ensures the monetary fee from the tenant furthers the
goals of the OST agricultural program.
Exhibit A- 10/07/2014 OSTB Regular Session Minutes
Growers' Associations/Co-operative Agricultural Leases
OST agricultural leases do not allow sub-leasing of OST fee owned agricultural properties.
Keeping that in mind, OST staff recognizes that in some cases several individuals with the same
goal may come together to form"Growers' Associations"to lease a portion of an OST property
for agricultural production.
Growers' Associations will be evaluated on the same evaluation criteria as individual lease
applicants. Growers' Associations must also submit bylaws and each members contact
information and qualifications (i.e. agricultural experience,proposed product, etc...) within their
RFP application. Growers' Associations chosen as lessees must notify OST staff of association
meetings and make available the minutes to association meetings. One point of contact must be
assigned from the association to facilitate communication between OST and association
members.
Process Steps
Standard process steps will be followed by OST staff in determining appropriate lessees;
Step Description
Identify property(s)that are eligible for leasing due to new property
acquisition or existing leases within one year of expiration.
Review property lease terms and conditions; make necessary adjustments if
needed.
Develop Request for Proposal (RFP) for lease property following the County
3
procurement code and process.
4 Publicly advertise and send announcements to interested parties.
5 Pre-bid presentation and Q&A hosted on site at subject property or at nearby
location for potential lessees.
MReceive and evaluate all RFP's.
III The OST Director, Assistant Director, Land Officer, and Community
Development Representative select successful lessee; Notify all parties who
have submitted a RFP of decision.
Finalize lease.
If necessary, OST staff will seek input from outside agencies to determine feasibility of
applicant's proposed operation. Acceptable outside agencies include,but are not limited to, the
Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), Mount Sopris Conservation District, and the
Colorado State University Ag Extension Agent. All appeals will be referred to the Pitkin County
Hearing Officer.
Property Management
By inviting more public to participate in the procurement process a potential for diverse uses on
fee properties will most likely be presented. To ensure lessee management and activities are
compatible with open space properties more comprehensive record keeping of agricultural inputs
a
Exhibit A- 10/07/2014 OSTB Regular Session Minutes
and oversight of agricultural operations will be required from all lessees. At a minimum, all
lessees will be required to keep irrigation, fertilizer and seeding, and yield records. An annual
operating plan will be developed for each lease to assist OST staff in assessing proper property
management and to ensure compliance with any existing management plans and conservation
easements associated with the leased ground. OST staff will also make regular site visits to
leased properties to facilitate communication. Any structures associated with an agricultural
lease will be managed in accordance with the management plan for that OST property.
The terms of the agricultural lease will list lessee management and stewardship obligations. If a
contemplated activity is not addressed within the agricultural lease the lessee must contact OST
staff to determine if the activity is compatible before any aspect of the activity is undertaken.
Pest Management
OST recognizes that farmers and ranchers must manage properties to control unwanted animal,
fungus, plant, and insect pests. Lessees will prioritize non-chemical options for pest control and
will be encouraged to work with adjacent landowners and lessees to coordinate efforts.
Only upon consultation and approval from OST staff will any lessee be authorized to apply
chemical herbicide or pesticide. If a chemical is approved the lessee shall post signage prior to
application with application date(s), type of pesticide/herbicide, and objective of use to inform
the public.
Policies
Agricultural leases will be managed and operated in accordance with the OST Statement of
Policies and Objectives. Notable objectives and policies that are specifically applicable to
agricultural lease program include;
• Stewardship Objective— Stewardship practices seek to preserve and enhance the
ecological, scenic, recreational, and cultural values of the open space and trails acquired
by Open Space and Trails.
• Stewardship Policy#3 -Neighborliness—Being a good steward of the land means being
a good neighbor. Every reasonable effort is made to minimize or eliminate the impacts of
trespassing, noise, fire hazard, livestock harassment, or other inappropriate behaviors on
neighbors land owners.
• Stewardship Policy#4—Retain Agricultural Lands—It is the policy of the OST Board to
cooperate with the county's agricultural community in strategies designed to retain and
continue production on the large tracts of farm and ranch lands which provide important
open space buffers between the communities of the Roaring Fork and Crystal River
valleys. As a corollary policy, the OST Board also supports the responsible use of public
lands for agricultural and ranching purposes.
Intergovernmental Management
In certain cases OST partners with other governmental agencies or organizations to manage
properties. OST may defer lease procurement and management to the partner organization. In
i
Exhibit A- 10/07/2014 OSTB Regular Session Minutes
these cases an intergovernmental agreement will be prepared to ensure the OST property will be
properly stewarded.
Attachments
A. Map of Fee Agricultural Properties
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Exhibit B - 10/07/2014 OSTB Regular Session Minutes
Open Space & Trails
Memo
To: Open Space Board
From: Dale Will
cc: Tom Oken
Date: October 7, 2014
Re: 2014 Budget Overview
The proposed 2015 Open Space Budget does not have any significant additions for our
general operations. There are no new positions. Our labor costs show a modest increase due
to three factors: the County is budgeting for an across the board 3.5% increase in salaries, and
there is a continued change in health insurance and other benefits. Note that the actual salary
increases will vary by position and manager discretion. We are also re-grading our two
administrative positions to more closely match the expanding functions of those personnel.
Another notable expense for 2015 is that we are replacing our administrative vehicle, a Subaru
Baja, and acquiring a wood chipper, and a mower attachment for our tractor. And the Nordic
program is acquiring a new cat. These expenses are all on our capital replacement plans, and
appear on the vehicle and Nordic lines.
The 2015 maintenance projects were discussed at the last meeting. The largest is our
resurfacing of several trails: the Basalt-Old Snowmass, the Rio Grande from Snowmass to
Pitkin Iron, and the Brush Creek Trail will all receive significant maintenance. This $502,150
maintenance expense was built in to our long-range planning. Including our Nordic budget,
there are a total of over $1 million in maintenance projects for 2015. Our multi-year projection
shows that this level of funding is anomalous given the current 15% cap in the charter. As
noted at our retreat, the next ballot question will need to revisit these allocations.
Our revenue is essentially the same as last year, and we will have significant capacity for new
open space negotiations in the coming year. Tom Oken will join our discussion to review the
2015 Budget and projected revenues for the fund.
Exhibit B - 10/07/2014 OSTB Regular Session Minutes
Open Space and Trails 2015 Budget Detail
2015 budget 2014 budget 2013 actual 2015E-2014B l
Administration
Labor 623,113 596,116 471,811 26,997
Non-Labor
Education 15,500 15,500 20,442 0
Purchased Services 65,825 88,483 40,284 -22,658
Materials&Supplies 7,500 10,500 8,114 -3,000
88,825 114,483 68,841 -25,658
Administrative and Cost Center Services actual
Office space&building use 38,338 37,403 42,954 935
Public Works 7,302 7,124 3,778 178
Information Technology 73,346 64,148 70,971 9,198
Community Relations 2,216 2,162 1,728 54
Human Resources 37,997 37,070 22,135 927
Finance 64,838 63,257 57,046 1,581
Attorney 32,267 31,480 38,817 787
Manager's Office 56,448 55,071 54,759 1,377
Treasurer 23,735 23,156 12,192 579
Insurance& Risk Mgmt 38,052 36,868 23,395 1,184
Phone/Cell 5,000 4,000 5,854 1,000
379,539 361,739 333,629 17,800
Capital Replacement
Computers 8,300 11,232 8,300
8,300 - 11,232 8,300
Administration sub-total 1,099,777 1,072,338 885,513 27,439
Property tax collection 489,372 491,602 521,535 -2,230
Administration Total 1,589,149 1,563,940 1,407,048 25,209
Debt Service
Principal 695,000 645,000 620,000 50,000
Interest 646,705 719,696 743,295 -72,991
Paying agent 450 450 450 -
Debt Service Total 1,342,155 1,365,146 1,363,745 -22,991
Maintenance Operations
Labor 548,331 522,392 477,312 25,939
Non-labor
Education 376 0
Purchased Services 83,490 89,335 109,452 -5,845
Materials&Supplies 37,875 35,375 36,038 2,500
121,365 124,710 145,866 -3,345
Cost Center Allocations ytd actual
Fleet 69,403 65,927 73,566 3,476
Vehicle Usage 3,000 3,000 0
Radio/Phones/Cell 2,700 3,468 2,139 -768
75,103 72,395 75,705 2,708
Capital Acq. & Replacement
Radio/Cell Phones/Pagers 800 1,800 309 -1,000
Mini Excavator acquisition (buy-up) 48,000
Vehicles/Equipment 65,900 29,725 27,666 36,175
66,700 79,525 27,975 -12,825
Maintenance Operations Total 811,499 799,022 726,858 12,477
10/1/2014 C:\Users\tomo\Documents\opensp\2015 budget\ost 2015 budget 10-1-14 .xlsx 2015 Detail
Exhibit B - 10/07/2014 OSTB Regular Session Minutes
Open Space and Trails 2015 Budget Detail
2015 budget 2014 budget 2013 actual 2015E-2014B
Maintenance Projects:
Nordic trails 370,170 256,533 258,819
Spring Gulch Nordic 10,000 10,000 10,000
Seven Star restoration 51,562
Smuggler Mtn restoration 50,000 59,171 41,658
Aspen contribution (20,829)
Stein Trail &Bridge repair 300,000
Thompson Creek Irrigation (buy-up) 13,050
East of Aspen Trail 20,000
Upper Roaring Fork Trail 36,000
contributions (30,000)
Roaring Fork Gorge 10,000 15,571
Glassier Ranch 15,000
North Star stream bank 85,000 41,500
Sky Mtn Park restoration 50,000 47,000
Redstone and Elk Park 15,000
Filoha Meadows prescribed burn (buy-up) 25,000
Misc trail repair/resurface 502,150 55,074 195,507
Maintenance Projects Total 1,132,320 859,890 500,725 272,430
Maintenance Total 1,943,819 1,658,912 1,227,583 284,907
Trails Projects:
Rio Grande Trail (RGT)Woody Creek 619,356
CMAQ grant (115,322) (281,486)
* RGT-Sage Flats 1,463,175
Sky Mtn Park trails&signage 139,666 147,400
contributions (46,666) (58,000)
Portal Trail (buy-up) 40,000
Recreation inventory analysis 50,000
Brush Creek trail bridge 428,352
Brush Creek Connector 13,000
contributions (13,000)
Castle Creek Trail 25,000
Budgetary pool 50,000 50,000
Trails Projects Total 75,000 1,580,853 855,622 (1,505,853)
Open Space Projects
Redstone properties 1,400 3,308
Emma Townsite 1,280 1,280 980
Capitol Creek Ranch reimbursement (179,547)
Downey Bike Park 32,763
Basalt contrbution (16,315)
Droste easement 40,000
Conservation easement baseline assessment 200
Saltonstall 2,418,032
GOCO grant (600,000)
contribution (50,000)
Redstone river frontage 143,346
Emma Powderhouse Restoration 3,304
State Historic grant (90,863)
Prince Creek 1,258,235 4,366
Glassier 2,959,910 515,090
GOCO Grant (500,000)
Moore River Parcel 1,160,000
Dart/Wheatley Open Space 1,975,000
Elk Park restoration 731,674 34,950
** transfer from Park Dedication Fee fund **
Scenic By-way grant (124,900)
10/1/2014 C:\Users\tomo\Documents\opensp\2015 budget\ost 2015 budget 10-1-14 .xlsx 2015 Detail
Exhibit B - 10/07/2014 OSTB Regular Session Minutes
Open Space and Trails 2015 Budget Detail
2015 budget 2014 budget 2013 actual 2015E-2014B
Cold Mtn Ranch monitoring 7,000
Wingo/Kanan 57,380
Budgetary pool 250,000 250,000 48,924
Open Space Projects Total 251,280 7,776,979 2,308,538 (7,525,699)
**to be reimbursed from Park Dedication Fees as available:
current balance is$718,621, but$700,000 budgeted for Tybar trail corridor acquisition
$700,000 to be reimbursed by Wexner if land exchange is approved by BLM; $337,500 if it isn't
10/1/2014 C:\Users\tomo\Documents\opensp\2015 budget\ost 2015 budget 10-1-14 .xlsx 2015 Detail
Exhibit B - 10/07/2014 OSTB Regular Session Minutes
Open Space and Trails Fund - 2015 Summary
Annual Annual Fund Balance
Revenue Expenditures Annual Net Beginning Ending
Property tax revenue 9,787,432
Motor vehicle ownership tax 313,198
Investment income 63,850
Misc revenues -
less Debt service 13.2% (1,342,155)
less Tax collection fees 4.8% (489,372)
less General operations 10.8% (1,099,777)
Remaining tax revenue 7,233,176
% allocations
Open space acquisition 75% 5,424,882
Other revenue 200,000
Bond proceeds -
Open space acquisition 5,624,882 251,280 5,373,602 5,388,461 10,762,063
Trails construction/acquisition 10% 723,318 75,000 648,318 797,357 1 ,445,675
Maintenance 15% 1,084,976
General Fund support & other revenue 76,380
Maintenance 1,161,356 1,943,819 (782,463) 1 ,960,342 1 ,177,879
Totals 2,270,099 5,239,457 8,146,160 13,385,617
10/1/2014 C:\Users\tomo\Documents\opensp\2015 budget\ost 2015 budget 10-1-14 .xlsx 2015 Summary
Exhibit B - 10/07/2014 OSTB Regular Session Minutes
Open Space and Trails Multi-year Projection
2009 -2014 2009 2010 I 2011 2012 2013 I 2014
assessed value 2,777,168,530 3,667,491,080 3,683,830,340 2,768,117,000 2,761,028,490 2,599,004,220
percentage change in assessed value 2% 32% 0% -24.9% -0.3% -5.9%
Open Space Acquisition&Improvement(65-85%) 75% 75% 75% 75% 75% 75%
Beginning balance (1,332,023) (2,580,028) (13,041,703) (2,535,113) 3,088,363 7,271,326
Annual revenue 8,846,606 9,661,152 10,563,355 6,590,114 3,681,351 5,894,114
Bond proceeds - - - - 2,810,150 -
Available for projects 7,514,583 7,081,124 (2,478,348) 4,055,001 9,579,864 13,165,440
less projects: (10,094,611) (20,122,827) (56,765) (966,638) (2,308,538) (7,776,979)
Projected Year-end Open Space Balance (2,580,028) (13,041,703) (2,535,113) 3,088,363 7,271,326 5,388,461
Trails Acquisition and Construction(10-30%) 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10%
Beginning Balance 1,575,702 1,080,737 660,235 1,293,289 1,672,887 1,652,328
Annual revenue 990,766 2,148,876 972,240 812,015 835,063 725,882
Available for projects 2,566,468 3,229,613 1,632,475 2,105,304 2,507,950 2,378,210
less projects: (1,485,730) (2,569,379) (339,186) (432,417) (855,622) (1,580,853)
Projected Year-end Trails Balance 1,080,737 660,235 1,293,289 1,672,887 1,652,328 797,357
Maintenance(5-15%) 15% 15% 15% 15% 15% 15%
Beginning balance 484,891 861,189 1,533,875 2,084,933 2,378,117 2,455,486
Net annual revenue 925,295 949,406 946,704 643,205 578,094 364,746
Available for projects 1,410,186 1,810,595 2,480,579 2,728,138 2,956,211 2,820,232
less projects: (548,997) (276,720) (395,646) (350,021) (500,725) (859,890)
Projected Year-end Maintenance Balance 861,189 1,533,875 2,084,933 2,378,117 2,455,486 1,960,342
2015 -2020 2015 I 2016 I 2017 I 2018 I 2019 I 2020 l
assessed value 2,609,981,970 2,766,580,890 2,794,246,700 2,961,901,500 2,991,520,520 3,171,011,750
percentage change in assessed value 0.4% 6% 1% 6% 1% 6%
Open Space Acquisition&Improvement(65-85%) 75% 75% 75% 75% 75% 75%
Beginning balance 5,388,461 10,762,063 16,796,741 23,214,934 29,562,184 35,931,982
Annual revenue 5,624,882 6,234,678 6,418,193 6,347,250 6,369,799 6,828,963
Bond proceeds - - - - - -
Availableforprojects 11,013,343 16,996,741 23,214,934 29,562,184 35,931,982 42,760,945
less projects: (251,280) (200,000) - - - -
Projected Year-end Open Space Balance 10,762,063 16,796,741 23,214,934 29,562,184 35,931,982 42,760,945
approximate ending range: 32.7 million at 65%to 42.8 million at 75%(retroactive to 2009)
Trails Acquisition and Construction(10-30%) 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10%
Beginning Balance 797,357 1,445,675 2,160,299 2,949,392 3,795,692 4,644,998
Annual revenue 723,318 764,624 789,093 846,300 849,306 910,528
Available for projects 1,520,675 2,210,299 2,949,392 3,795,692 4,644,998 5,555,527
less projects: (75,000) (50,000) - - - -
Projected Year-end Trails Balance 1,445,675 2,160,299 2,949,392 3,795,692 4,644,998 5,555,527
approximate ending range: 5.6 million at 10%-15.6 million at 20%(retroactive to 2009)
Maintenance(5-15%1 15% 15% 15% 15% 15% 15%
Beginning balance 1,960,342 1,177,879 947,253 838,169 604,365 464,909
Net annual revenue 349,858 438,300 440,158 489,495 455,823 507,685
Available for projects 2,310,199 1,616,179 1,387,411 1,327,664 1,060,188 972,594
less projects: (1,132,320) (668,926) (549,242) (723,299) (595,279) (568,199)
Projected Year-end Maintenance Balance 1,177,879 947,253 838,169 604,365 464,909 404,395
20,359,850 also remains in debt authoriztion;however,debt issuance will reduce the ending amounts
shown above by the amount of additional debt service payments through 2020
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