Questions and Interrogatories

Questions for Elected Officials

Economic Structure: Multiplier vs. Extraction

1. What is your current framework for distinguishing between extractive economic models (where profits and long-term benefits flow out of the region) and multiplier-based economic models (where economic activity circulates within the region)?
2. For the last three major development projects approved in this county, what percentage of revenues, profits, and economic benefits remained in the local economy versus flowing to out-of-state or out-of-region owners?
3. Do you require economic impact assessments to quantify both direct jobs and induced economic activity through multiplier effects, or do you count only direct jobs?
4. When evaluating a development proposal, what minimum multiplier threshold would justify converting agricultural land or open space?
5. What analysis has been done comparing the long-term economic value of agricultural land in production versus the one-time economic benefit of development?
6. How do you account for the risk that losing even 3 to 7 percent of productive farmland to wind, solar, or data center development can trigger cascading economic damage through feed chain contraction, vendor network collapse, processor vulnerability, and workforce displacement?
7. Are there any limits or thresholds below which you would not approve a development project based on insufficient local economic multiplier effect?

Land Use and Conversion: Policy and Protections

1. What is the current policy threshold for farmland conversion in your county, and on what economic or agricultural rationale is this threshold based?
2. Are there specific soil types, productive capacities, or categories of agricultural land that are protected from conversion, and what protections do these lands have?
3. What analysis has been conducted on the cumulative impact of farmland conversion across your county over the past 20 years?
4. For development proposals on prime agricultural land, is an agricultural impact fee required, and if so, how are these fees used to preserve remaining agricultural capacity?
5. Do you have any policies requiring agricultural land conservation easements or mitigation measures for farmland loss, and how effective have these been?
6. What is the decision-making process for determining when agricultural land is "available" for conversion versus when it should be protected?
7. Has your jurisdiction established target percentages for the amount of agricultural land to be retained for future generations, and how are development decisions aligned with this target?

Dairy and Agricultural Economy: Infrastructure Protection

1. What specific actions has this jurisdiction taken to support and protect its agricultural infrastructure, including processing facilities, vendor networks, and agricultural service providers?
2. How are decisions about farmland conversion evaluated in light of their potential impact on the viability of remaining agricultural operations and processing infrastructure?
3. If 30% of the dairy farms in your region were to disappear over the next decade, what would be the cascading impact on dairies, processing facilities, vendor networks, and agricultural workers?
4. What economic data do you use to understand the interconnectedness of the dairy economy, food processing, agricultural services, and the broader regional economy?
5. Do you currently model or track the cumulative impact of land conversions on the long-term viability of remaining agricultural operations?
6. What commitments exist to preserve agricultural land in amounts sufficient to sustain the agricultural processing infrastructure currently operating in this region?
7. How are individual development decisions weighted against the need to maintain critical mass of agricultural production to support regional processing facilities?

Community Impact: Workforce, Families, Schools, and Services

1. What analysis is required to understand the demographic composition and economic stability of families who depend on agricultural employment?
2. When agricultural land is converted and farms disappear, how is the impact on agricultural worker families tracked and addressed?
3. What is the relationship between agricultural employment loss and enrollment decline in local schools?
4. How does your jurisdiction's school funding model respond to declining enrollment related to agricultural workforce changes?
5. Are the community benefits from a development project (local jobs, tax base, services) sufficient to replace the community services, schools, and economic base that may be lost if agricultural operations fail?
6. What long-term commitments or mitigation strategies are in place to support communities where agricultural employment is declining?
7. How is the social and economic resilience of agricultural communities factored into decisions about farmland conversion?

Transparency and Accountability: Project Evaluation and Disclosure

1. Are all economic impact studies and multiplier analyses for development projects made publicly available before approval decisions are made?
2. What third-party verification process exists to ensure that economic impact claims are accurate and use consistent methodologies?
3. How are economic impact projections tracked against actual outcomes after a development is completed, and are these results made public?
4. Is there a mechanism for public review and comment on economic analyses before a development decision is finalized?
5. Are the employment projections, multiplier assumptions, and local economic benefit calculations disclosed in sufficient detail for independent verification?
6. What happens if a development project fails to deliver the promised economic benefits, jobs, or tax revenue?
7. How are the full costs of infrastructure, services, and community impacts factored into the economic analysis of a development proposal?

Questions for the Public

Understanding Your Economy

1. Do you know what percentage of your region's economic activity is generated by agriculture, food processing, and related services?
2. Can you identify the major employers in your region and estimate what percentage of revenues and profits stay local versus flow to out-of-region owners?
3. What is the multiplier effect for your region's dominant economic sectors, and how does this compare to proposed development projects?
4. Are there industries or businesses that are particularly dependent on the agricultural sector succeeding, and what would happen to those businesses if agricultural production declined?
5. How has your region's economic structure changed over the past 20 years, and what role has farmland conversion played in those changes?
6. What local businesses depend on agricultural customers, and how vulnerable are they to changes in farm numbers and agricultural profitability?
7. If your region lost 25% of its agricultural land, what would be the impact on the businesses, schools, and services you depend on?

Evaluating Development Proposals

1. Is the economic impact analysis for a development proposal conducted by an independent firm, or by consultants hired by the developer?
2. Does the analysis distinguish between direct jobs and jobs created through multiplier effects, or does it count all claimed jobs equally?
3. What percentage of the project's revenues and profits will stay in your community, and what percentage flows to corporate owners elsewhere?
4. Are there comparable projects in other regions that have produced promised economic benefits, and what evidence is available?
5. What would the long-term economic value of the land be if it remained in agricultural production, and how does that compare to the one-time benefit from development?
6. What specific commitments, guarantees, or performance bonds ensure that promised jobs and economic benefits will actually be delivered?
7. What happens to the land, jobs, and economic benefit if the project fails or becomes obsolete within 10-20 years?

Community and Family Impact

1. How will the development project affect opportunities for young people in your region to build careers in agriculture and related fields?
2. If the project requires farmland conversion, what is the impact on remaining farms and their long-term viability?
3. Will the jobs created by the development project provide similar income, benefits, and long-term stability as agricultural and processing jobs?
4. How will the development project affect the sustainability of schools, services, and community institutions that depend on a stable agricultural population?
5. What is the environmental impact of the development, and how does it affect agricultural productivity, water resources, or soil quality?
6. Are there affordable housing and community services available for the workers who will be employed by the project?
7. What is the long-term vision for your region if agricultural land continues to be converted at the current rate?

Accountability and Engagement

1. Has your local government released the full economic impact analysis for recent development projects, and is it available for public review?
2. Do you know how your elected representatives are analyzing and voting on development proposals?
3. Are there regular opportunities for community input on land use decisions, or are major decisions made with limited public awareness?
4. Has anyone conducted a post-project analysis comparing promised economic benefits with actual outcomes for recently completed developments?
5. Are you connected with neighbors and community members to discuss and share information about proposed developments?
6. Do you know who owns the land proposed for development and what their long-term intentions are?
7. What role do you want to play in decisions about how your community's land is used and how the economy is shaped?

Formal Interrogatories

Economic Impact Measurement and Methodology

1. What specific input-output model, IMPLAN model version, or economic impact methodology is used to calculate the multiplier effect of development projects, and what are the multiplier assumptions for each major employment sector?
2. For the last three projects approved, provide the detailed economic impact analysis including the IMPLAN model outputs, multiplier coefficients used, assumptions about induced spending and employment, and the breakdown between direct, indirect, and induced impacts.
3. How are local versus non-local economic impacts calculated, and what is the defined "local region" for multiplier effect calculations?
4. What percentage of project revenues, wages, and profits are assumed to circulate within the local economy versus flow to out-of-region owners, and on what data are these percentages based?
5. How are multiplier effects for extractive industries (limited local economic circulation) distinguished from multiplier effects for circulating industries (agriculture, food processing)?
6. What assumptions are made about wage levels, employee origins, spending patterns, and local purchasing for the projected jobs?
7. How are seasonal employment, part-time employment, and temporary employment weighted differently in the economic impact analysis?
8. What is the methodology for calculating local property tax revenue, school funding impacts, and public service costs associated with a development project?
9. Are all assumptions, data sources, and calculation methods disclosed transparently in the economic impact assessment?
10. What independent verification or peer review process is applied to economic impact analyses before they are used in decision-making?

Land Conversion and Agricultural Impact Assessment

1. What soil productivity rating, agricultural classification, and historical agricultural production characterizes the land proposed for conversion?
2. What is the annual gross revenue from agricultural production on the proposed conversion land, disaggregated by crop/commodity type?
3. What is the annual local economic circulation generated by current agricultural use, including direct farm revenues, vendor and supplier spending, processing activities, and induced economic activity?
4. How is the permanent loss of this agricultural production capacity evaluated against the one-time development benefit?
5. What cascading impacts would result from the loss of this agricultural production on remaining farms, processing facilities, vendor networks, and agricultural service providers?
6. What agricultural infrastructure (processing facilities, cold storage, irrigation systems, equipment dealers) is dependent on the current level of agricultural production in the region, and how vulnerable is this infrastructure to agricultural land loss?
7. What is the cumulative impact of farmland conversion over the past 10, 20, and 30 years, and what trajectory does this project put the county on for future agricultural land loss?
8. Are there agricultural impact mitigation measures required as a condition of development (conservation easements, agricultural land preservation, fees paid into agricultural infrastructure funds)?
9. Has any analysis been done on the minimum amount of agricultural land required to sustain the agricultural processing infrastructure currently operating in the county?
10. What is the policy or threshold for determining when agricultural land is protected versus when it is considered available for conversion?

Community, Workforce, and Agricultural Family Protections

1. What is the demographic profile of the agricultural workforce and agricultural families potentially affected by land conversion, including income levels, age, education, and employment stability?
2. How many agricultural families (farm owners, agricultural workers, and dependents) depend on agricultural employment in the county, and how many could be affected by cumulative land conversions?
3. What is the relationship between agricultural employment in the county and school enrollment, and what would be the projected impact on school funding if agricultural employment declined by 25%?
4. Are there transition assistance programs, retraining support, or economic development initiatives available to agricultural workers and families who lose employment due to farmland conversion?
5. What community services, local businesses, and economic opportunities are specifically dependent on agricultural employment?
6. How are the costs of population decline (loss of school funding, decline in local services, loss of community viability) factored into the economic analysis of development projects?
7. What is the net fiscal impact of the development project on county and school district budgets, including both revenue and service costs?
8. Are there any guarantees, performance bonds, or accountability mechanisms ensuring that promised community benefits will be delivered?
9. What would be the impact on long-term community resilience and economic stability if the proposed development became obsolete or was abandoned within 10-20 years?
10. Are there protections or policies ensuring that development projects contribute to community stability rather than disrupting agricultural communities and causing demographic decline?