Continued item regarding adopting updates to Yolo LAFCo Agricultural Conservation Policies addressing Strategic Work Plan item 6.4 "Consider updates to LAFCo's agricultural conservation policies, including adjusting the agricultural mitigation ratio" 

Receive the Yolo LAFCo Agricultural Policies Background Report, discuss and consider adopting the following policy updates:

1. Retain the existing language in Policy 4.9 that states conservation easements must be within Yolo County.
2. For city annexations, consider language requiring easements within a radius of the subject city where annexation is proposed, within four miles from the larger Cities of Davis, West Sacramento, and Woodland, and within two miles of the smaller City of Winters.
3. Add policy language encouraging acquiring conservation easements adjacent to identified agricultural easement clusters of over 1,000 acres.
3. Amend Yolo LAFCo agricultural conservation easements to allow a new mitigation option for use of in-lieu fees for Yolo Subbasin Groundwater Agency groundwater recharge projects to restore agricultural lands that have been fallowed or are threatened by declining groundwater levels.

Yolo LAFCo's two-year Strategic Work Plan, adopted in April 2024, included four actions regarding the relationship between LAFCo's Agricultural Land Preservation Policy and other mandates such as housing requirements. At the September 25, 2025, meeting, the Commission discussed these items following a presentation and directed staff to provide further information and return for discussion of item 6.4 "Consider updates to Yolo LAFCO's Agricultural Conservation policies, including adjusting the agricultural mitigation ratio."

Please see the attached Follow-up Yolo LAFCo Agricultural Conservation Policy Report (Attachment A) and Proposed Policy Amendments Redline (Attachment B).