We are often asked if Land Bank acquisitions “take land off the tax rolls,” resulting in higher property taxes for other landowners. The answer is yes, but very little.

The taxable value of Land Bank Preserves is less than one half of one percent (0.46%) or roughly $68 million of the County’s $14.8 billion in total taxable value. If this amount were added back to the total, and the tax adjusted to keep the total amount collected the same, it would reduce the annual tax on a $750,000 property by only $22.50 What a bargain! In return, you get 33 Preserves open to the public, 400 acres leased to local farmers, hundreds of acres of forests restored, and iconic landscapes protected from mountaintops to coastlines.

These are the numbers for today. But we think it’s important to recognize that conservation has a tangible value to the community It comes in the form of ecosystem services – clean air and water; moderation of climate; timeless refuge. These, nature gives us for free…if we conserve it.