Public comment urges county to retain conservation easement points in PBRS to secure permanent protection

At the Sept. 16 meeting, Linda Lamar of Freeland urged the Board of Island County Commissioners not to remove point incentives for conservation easements in the county's Public Benefit Rating System (PBRS). Lamar told the board PBRS incentivizes landowners to open privately owned trails, shoreline access and wildlife habitat to the public, while a conservation easement permanently protects natural resources but does not by itself grant public access.

"By adding a conservation easement to a property, the landowner is donating the development value of the land to the community instead of profiteering off the county's natural resources," Lamar said. She described a sample property that would receive a larger tax reduction under PBRS (50%) with an option to exit the program after eight years; by contrast, a donated conservation easement would reduce taxes further but permanently remove development value from the property.

Lamar asked the county to evaluate incentive programs—timber management programs, PBRS and conservation easements—together and consider how moving parcels among categories affects tax equity and long‑term protection. "The suggestion to remove the point incentive for conservation easement under PBRS runs counter to that," she said.

Chair Janet thanked Lamar for the clarification and asked her to email the board materials so they can be reviewed in detail.

Ending: The board did not take immediate policy action at the Sept. 16 meeting; the comment was acknowledged and commissioners requested the speaker provide written materials for staff review.