HomeMy WebLinkAbout4.2 - Colleen Cecil (Farm Bureau) - 10_28_2025 Item 4.7 Williamson Act Direct Charge.ATTENTION: This message originated from outside Butte County. Please exercise judgment before opening
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From:Colleen Cecil
To:Kimmelshue, Tod; Durfee, Peter; Ritter, Tami; Teeter, Doug; Connelly, Bill
Cc:Clerk of the Board; Blain Moffitt; Steve Lambert (Slambert5256@gmail.com); Quist, Katharine; Douglass, Alyssa
Subject:10/28/2025 Item 4.7 Williamson Act Direct Charge
Date:Monday, October 27, 2025 2:01:52 PM
Attachments:BOS Ltr - Cessation of AB 1265 Direct Charges (10-27-25).pdf
Importance:High
Good Afternoon,
Please find attached a letter from the Butte County Farm Bureau and the Butte County
Cattlemen regarding 10/28/2025 Board of Supervisors Agenda Item 4.7, Williamson Act
Direct Charge. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you,
Colleen Cecil
Colleen Cecil
Executive Director, Butte County Farm Bureau
3688 Durham-Dayton Highway
Chico, CA 95928
Office (530) 533-1473
Mobile (530) 370-3879
www.buttefarmbureau.com
Are you a Butte County Farm Bureau Member? ASK ME how to join TODAY!
October 27, 2025
Via E-Mail & Hand Delivery
Honorable Butte County Board of Supervisors
25 County Center Drive, Suite 200
Oroville, CA 95965
Re: Request for Cessation of Williamson Act AB 1265 Direct Charges
Dear Butte County Board of Supervisors:
Over the past 24-36 months the California Land Conservation Act (CLCA) (a.k.a., Williamson
Act) land descriptions, valuations and direct charges used by Butte County have resulted in a
huge increase in real property taxes which threaten the viability of the farm and livestock
industries within Butte County. These industries are already under substantial economic stress.
It has been observed between tax years 2022-23 and 2023-24, that real property taxes increased
by as much as 50% in that one year period alone for a number of Williamson Act landowners.
Grazing and farming income has increased only a fraction of this amount and is unable to offset
these taxes. In recent fire years, ranchers received no rents at all when livestock feed burned up.
A cessation of the AB 1265 CLCA direct charges for farmers and ranchers enrolled under the
Williamson Act in Butte County results in a tax reduction of approximately $700,000 per year.
That’s less than 1/10th of 1% (0.1%) of the $1.1 Billion Butte County 2025-26 fiscal year budget.
(Chico Enterprise Record, June 26, 2025 citing the Butte County Chief Administrative Officer.)
It’s even less when you take into account Measure H and its generation of $40 Million per year.
But the tax is very significant to Williamson Act agriculturalists, 71% of whom will net less than
$10,000/year in profit per recent surveys. (Weitzel, Lacher, Swezey, Moffitt, UC Davis 2012.)
Many are on the verge of going out of business due to county tax rates which defeat Williamson
Act state law policies designed to promote the continuation of large-scale sustainable agriculture,
open space protection, wildlife habitat preservation, and serve to buffer urban areas from fire.
From a public services standpoint, rural Williamson Act lands require minimal public services
other than infrequent calls about illegal marijuana, the occasional drug lab or a safety check.
Butte County Board of Supervisors
October 27, 2025
2 | P a g e
Butte County costs to administer the Williamson Act program are virtually non-existent. Once a
property is enrolled, it simply stays enrolled for the next nine or ten years, then automatically
renews. Virtually no staff time is needed to administer Butte County’s Williamson Act program.
Most importantly, Williamson Act lands form the backbone of the Butte County economy.
Agriculture remains the number one industry in Butte County and the economic activity it
generates provides a huge economic engine of job creation, multi-level commerce and the main
real property tax base for Butte County. This economic engine must be diligently protected.
“Butte County’s agriculture remains a key and foundational industry in our region. It not only
supports our local economy through direct crop production but also fuels a wide range of other
professions, including banking, transportation, and marketing,” said Butte County’s Agricultural
Commissioner Katharine Quist in 2024.
Agriculture’s positive ripple effects are profound: one in seven local jobs is connected to
agriculture, and in 2021, the industry supported over 43,000 jobs. The sector constituted an
estimated $4.1 Billion in value-added economic activity, underscoring its essential role in the
regional economy. (North State Agriculture Bulletin, Winter 2024)
But agriculture has been under siege in very recent years sustaining significant losses. In 2023,
Butte County crop production was down 17%, including a huge 50% reduction in the value of
Butte County rice, a $6 Million reduction in almond values, and continuing stagnant almond and
walnut prices. (North State Agriculture Bulletin, Winter 2023) Despite some reports, these
industries have not actually recovered “into the black” again.
Many nearby counties do not impose direct charges on Williamson Act lands. We ask that Butte
County protect its main economic engine and cease assessing direct charges on agriculturalists.
We sincerely thank you for your shared concern about maintaining the economic vitality of the
economically distressed agricultural industry in Butte County at this critical “tipping point” due
largely to unsustainable “direct charge” tax burdens being born by Williamson Act landowners.
Very truly yours,
Blain Moffitt, President Steve Lambert, President
Butte County Farm Bureau Butte County Cattlemen