Section 2. The act is amended by adding a section to read:
Section 7.3. Agricultural land conservation assistance grant
program.
(a) The department, in consultation with the State Agricultural Land Preservation Board, is hereby authorized to use up to $750,000 of the funds deposited into the Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Fund under section 7.1(a) to make grants to counties for the following purposes:
(1) To cover costs incurred by a county in creating a
spatial mapping database. Such database shall contain county
topographic data, property boundaries, soil boundaries, soil
capability classes and soil productivity ratings.
(2) To cover costs incurred by a county to train staff,
contract with consultants and pay for computer software.
(3) To assist counties in the development and
implementation of agricultural zoning ordinances, including
model ordinances for possible adoption by local government
units.
(b) Grants made pursuant to subsection (a) shall not exceed the lesser of $10,000 or 50% of the costs incurred by the county.
(c) A county may submit an application for a grant under this section to the department in such form and manner and containing such documentation as the department, in consultation with the State board, shall prescribe.
(d) The department, in consultation with the State board, shall establish eligibility criteria for awarding grants for the purposes enumerated herein. No county shall be eligible for more than an accumulative total of $25,000 in grants pursuant to this section. A county which receives a grant pursuant to this section but which fails to implement an agricultural conservation easement purchase program shall be required to repay the grant to the Commonwealth. Any such repayments shall be credited to the Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Fund and may be used for the purposes of this section.
(e) The department shall administer the provisions of this section and is authorized, in consultation with the State board, to adopt and promulgate regulations for the administration and enforcement of the provisions of this section.