Local government: agricultural land.

Existing law authorizes the parties to a Williamson Act contract, after approval by the Department of Conservation, to mutually agree to rescind the contract in order to simultaneously enter into a solar-use easement that would require that the land be used for solar photovoltaic facilities for a term no less than 20 years, except as specified. Existing law requires the city or county to charge the property owner a rescission fee of 614% of the fair market value of the property at the time of the rescission if the property was under a Williamson Act contract, and 1212% of the fair market value of the property at the time of the rescission if the land was held under a contract designating the property a farmland security zone. This bill would, until January 1, 2020, instead require a city or county to charge the property owner a rescission fee of 10% of the fair market value of the property at the time of the rescission for both land under a Williamson Act contract and land designated as a farmland security zone. Existing law requires the rescission fees to be deposited in the General Fund, as specified. This bill would instead require 50% of the rescission fees collected to be deposited in the General Fund, as specified.