§ 54-283. Procedure for selection of acquisition proposals for placement on the active acquisition list and subsequent purchase procedures.

(a)

Acquisition proposals for which applications have been received shall be prescreened using the initial screening criteria. Those that satisfy two (2) out of six (6) of the Initial Screening Criteria shall be forwarded to the Land Acquisition Advisory Committee for a vote for a complete evaluation.

(b)

Acquisition proposals which do not satisfy the initial screening criteria or which satisfy initial screening criteria but for other reasons may not fulfill the purposes of Conservation Collier will be reported to the Land Acquisition Advisory Committee and shall not be evaluated further unless at least five [5] members of the Land Acquisition Advisory Committee vote for a complete evaluation.

(c)

Proposals which satisfy the initial screening will be further evaluated for presentation to the Land Acquisition Advisory Committee for review and ranking by staff or a qualified third-party. Evaluation shall include a site visit, which staff shall coordinate with the property owner, and which may include one advisory committee member, review of information about the parcel(s) available in the county's electronic databases and research into any other records retained by the county about the parcel(s). Using both observed and gathered data staff or a qualified third party shall prepare an Initial Criteria Screening Report (ICSR) which will include boundary and location maps for each site, descriptions of the biological and hydrological characteristics, including initial criteria satisfied, a summary of its potential for appropriate use, development potential of the site and adjacent land, an assessment of the management needs and costs, the assessed and estimated value, and any potentially available matching funds.

(d)

Upon completion of the ICSR, the Land Acquisition Advisory Committee shall hold a public hearing where staff will present information contained in the ICSR regarding each site, the applicants' and/or landowners' comments, and comments from the public. A courtesy notice shall be provided to the owners of properties which are the subject of the hearing, although failure to notify said owners shall not invalidate these proceedings.

(e)

After all properties within the current acquisition cycle have been presented, the Land Acquisition Advisory Committee shall evaluate all qualified proposals using criteria, as documented in the ICSR along with, public comments, and their own experience and judgments, and then rank the parcels according to the A, B and C ranking categories to create a recommended Active Acquisition List at a public hearing. Additional meetings may be called to complete this task.

(f)

The recommended Active Acquisition List shall be forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners, who, in a public meeting, shall vote on whether to approve all or part of the proposed Active Acquisition List. Properties may be added but any additional properties must be subjected to the entire evaluation process.

(g)

County Staff shall notify property owners and the public of the final approved Active Acquisition List.

(h)

After approval of the Active Acquisition List, Real Estate Services staff will arrange for appraisals for A-category parcels/projects and when appraisals are received make an offer to the owner(s) pursuant to the approved Conservation Collier Land Acquisition Purchase Policy (Resolution No. 2003-195, or as superseded). Parcels located within the Rural Fringe Mixed Use District "Sending" lands are subject to additional requirements regarding Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) credits, as specified in the Conservation Collier Land Acquisition Purchase Policy, Resolution 2003-195, or as superseded. Once an offer is accepted, Real Estate Services staff will prepare a contract and request the owner sign. This signed contract will be presented to the Land Acquisition Advisory Committee at a public meeting to decide, by majority vote, whether to recommend approval of the contract to the Board of County Commissioners. Along with the contract, staff will provide a Project Design Report for each parcel/project, including cost, history, purpose of project, and program qualifications.

(i)

After obtaining a recommendation from the Land Acquisition Advisory Committee, the contract, Project Design Report and Land Acquisition Advisory Committee recommendation will be presented to the Board of County Commissioners at a public hearing for their review and approval.

(j)

The Board of County Commissioners shall have final approval authority of the contract terms for each proposed project and shall authorize any and all purchases.

(k)

Once a contract has been approved and executed by the Board of County Commissioners in accordance with County policies, Real Estate Services shall proceed to close on the purchase of property in accordance with County policies.

(Ord. No. 02-63, § 13; Ord. No. 07-65, § 13; Ord. No. 2019-03, § 13)