15 Policy 43: Governmental Property Acquisition & Ownership We support prohibiting “additional purchases of real estate for recreational or preservation purposes by any level of government unless the property remains on the local tax rolls at the prevailing tax rates and prevailing assessed value of similar local properties.” We support “limiting state and federal agencies in their purchase of additional recreational or wildlife habitat until existing sites, other than farmland, are developed and maintained for the purpose for which they were intended.” We oppose “the formation of any state or federal wildlife refuges, recreational or conservation areas until such time as the boundaries of such projects are clearly defined and the property targeted for acquisition is clearly identified.” We oppose “the formation of state or national wildlife refuges, creation or conservation areas that impede the existing natural and artificial drainage systems of landowners in the watershed.” We oppose “the creation or expansion of local, state, and federal refuges, recreational or conservation areas when the aggregate acreage of such proposed focus areas account for more than two percent of the county’s farmland.” Policy 45: Land Use and Farmland Preservation We support “requiring consideration of the impact on agriculture and the local tax base and the desires of local voters in proposals to take agricultural lands for any public use.” We support “the consideration of impacts on farmland in the development of Environmental Impact Statements as being as significant as the impacts to other environmentally sensitive areas.” Policy 47: Private Property Rights We believe in the sanctity of private property and individual rights as provided by the U.S. Constitution, as the basis of American freedom and progress. Private property should be defined to include all land, timber or other valuable considerations associated with land ownership. Policy 41: Eminent Domain We support “that a public hearing be held before any land could be optioned or purchased by a public body for any purpose.”