HomeMy WebLinkAbout1993-08-17 - MP OP /
TOWN OF ULYSSES
MASTER PLAN COMMITTEE
AUGUST 17 , 1993
TOWN HALL
PRESENT : Members : Joanne Molino , Catherine Stover , David Tyler ;
Zoning Officer : Alex Rachun ; Secretary : Roxanne Smith
OTHERS PRESENT : Sue Poelvoorde and Tom Reitz •
The meeting began at 7 : 20 PM . Zoning Officer Alex Rachun
had brought in the Land Use Maps from the County . He said that
t he County does have the ability to create a new set of maps . A
planner who is a student from Cornell University is doing his
internship with the County . He will be working on digitizing the
Maps ; noting all the changes that the Committee made . They will
be brought down to 1500 so the graphic overlays can be used . The
major roads will be put in and the new Agricultural / Residential
zone . They are very near completion .
David Tyler suggested that they begin work on reviewing the
Master Plan - Draft 3 from June 22 , 1991 . Roxanne will contact
Rita Brown on locating the original disk . The Committee decided
to begin with page 6 , AGRICULTURE . The evening was spent editing
t hat one page except for the last paragraph . It was suggested
t hat the Committee address the topic that currently farmers can
not sell land as an on going business at the next meeting . That
meeting will be August 31 , 1993 at 7 : 00 PM .
The meeting adjourned at 9 : 15 PM .
Attached please find revised page 6 , AGRICULTURE , Master Plan -
D raft 37 dated June 227 1991 .
AGRICULTURE
Since its early settlement Ulysses has been a strong
agriculture community . Town residents cite the area as a farm
community and the rural character as a large contributor to the
perceived quality of life for many residents . In addition there
is evidence that the citizenry of Ulysses supports the goal of
maintaining an agricultural economic and cultural base .
The Town of Ulysses is in an agricultural district . Since
land is the chief raw material used in farming , the population
density is much lower on agricultural land than on residential
land . Therefore , farmers are not required to use the
infrastructure to the extent that residential users or perhaps
o ther commercial users do . Farms traditionally use fewer
services that require a higher tax base . In addition much of the
farm profit goes directly back to the community to purchase goods
and services .
The farm family , in addition , provides other services to the
community . Farming preserves the land from erosion , encourages
✓ aried wild life and bird population diversity and keeps the land
fertile through crop rotation . Only a major public sector
initiative on the part of the community could supply such large
amounts of " green - space " or " wildlife refuge " , which the farming
industry now provides .
As in many areas in this country farming costs have
outstripped profit . Costs of equipment , labor , raw materials ,
chemical additives , etc . have risen faster than the revenues
received by farmers . Where large farms are more able to take
advantage of price supports and subsidies , the complexity of the
programs applications make it difficult for the small farmer to
benefit to the same extent . Typically farmers receive less than
minimum wage when all farming hours are tabulated . Historically
this has been true , but in the past the farm family produced much
of its own food , fiber and fuel . Today farms are more
specialized and farm family members must often work at other jobs
to augment farm income .
In many rural areas , including the Town of Ulysses , there
h as been pressure to develop farm land . Farmers often cite
increasing property taxes , cost of production and level or
d ecreasing product price as reasons for selling land . The best
agricultural land is often most desirable for new housing and
commercial development since it is generally flat , well drained ,
and frequently scenic . Development speculation tends to drive up
land prices . This presents a dilemma to farmers given the
d isadvantageous conditions of farming today .
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