BIGGS, CA (MPG) - The Butte County Board of Supervisors approved two Williamson Act parcel mergers near Biggs on March 24, allowing agricultural land to be consolidated under updated contracts.

The properties are located near Larkin Road, Walnut Avenue and Hanson Avenue, about three miles east of Biggs. One project merges three parcels, two under Williamson Act contract and one not, into a single parcel totaling about 33 acres. The second combines two contracted parcels into a roughly 35-acre property. County staff said in the report the parcels are located within an agricultural preserve and include prime farmland.

County staff noted both proposals were reviewed March 2 by the Butte County Land Conservation Act Advisory Committee and found consistent with county rules for implementing the Williamson Act.

The land is designated for agriculture under the county’s General Plan and zoned for 20-acre minimum parcel sizes. The properties are currently in agricultural use, including walnut orchards, and will remain under Williamson Act restrictions following the mergers. The Williamson Act allows landowners to receive reduced property tax assessments in exchange for maintaining the land in agricultural use, officials said. 

The approvals include partial rescission of an existing contract covering multiple parcels, followed by new contracts for the merged properties so the land remains under agricultural preservation requirements. In one case, a previously non-contracted parcel will be added into the Williamson Act program as part of the merger.

County staff said the actions are exempt from environmental review under state law because they involve open space contracts. The changes are expected to result in a minimal reduction in property tax revenue, estimated at about $168 annually.

Supervisors approved both items unanimously on the consent agenda without discussion.