Genesee County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan

Genesee County: Town of Byron Cost of Community Services Study
3.0 Findings
The COCS Study completed for the Town of Byron offers a “snapshot in time” for local
and County decision makers to consider. The findings illustrate the current costs of
servicing each land use type compared with the amount of revenue each land use type
contributes the tax base. This initiative is not meant to be predictive nor to judge the
intrinsic value of one land use over another. The uniqueness of the study is that it
considers agricultural land and open space – land uses that are often ignored in other
types of fiscal analyses.
Many proponents of growth often present farmland and other open lands as awaiting a
“highest and best use”; this use is most often residential development. The COCS
findings show the positive tax benefits of maintaining these lands in their current use.
The cost of providing new residents with basic services is quite expensive. Education,
fire services, police protection, road maintenance, public sewer and water are all
expenses which must be evaluated along with a new residential development’s
contribution to the tax base.
Similar to agriculture and open space, commercial/industrial land uses also provide far
more in revenues than they demand in services. Yet new businesses require new
workers. Often times, if the local market is not enough to satisfy demands, “urbanizing”
will typically occur. New commercial development is typically followed by an increased
demand for new housing, traffic congestion, and pollution.
The COCS Study is intended to encourage local and regional policy makers that the
preservation of agriculture and open space has many economic consequences. Farmland
not only pays property tax, but includes many additional economic multipliers in its own
right. Farming is an industry that contributes to the local employment base and supports
many other business both locally and regionally. Farming is also a cost-effective way to
maintain a community’s rural character.
According to the results of the study completed for Byron, agricultural, open space,
commercial, and industrial uses are important contributors to the Town’s fiscal health.
This is demonstrated in the average ratio of dollars generated by residential development
to services required which was $1.00 to $1.30. In other words, for every dollar raised
from residential revenues, the Town spent an extra 30 cents on average in direct services.
These services include education, health and human services, fire safety, and public
works. The average ratio for agricultural land, forest and other open space was $1.00 to
$.49 cents; for every dollar raised in revenue the Town retained $.51 cents. For
commercial and industrial uses, the Town retained $.23 cents in excess of expenses.
Average Land Use Ratios for the Town of Byron, New York
Residential Commercial/Industrial Agricultural/Forest/Open Space
$1.00: $1.30 $1:00: $0.77 $1.00: $0.49
Agricultural & Community Development Services, Inc. 8
peter j. smith & company, inc.