Relating to the acquisition of real property by county conservation boards and the department of natural resources

This bill relates to the acquisition of real property by county conservation boards and the department of natural resources (DNR). Current law authorizes county conservation boards to acquire property for public museums, parks, preserves, parkways, playgrounds, recreation centers, forests, wildlife, and other conservation purposes and for participation in watershed, drainage, and flood control programs for the purpose of increasing the recreational resources of the county. With approval of the natural resource commission, DNR may acquire lands and waters relating to state parks, recreational facilities, and wildlife programs. The bill provides spending restrictions on county conservation boards and DNR when purchasing certain properties. For timber, nontillable pasture, low-quality cropland, medium-quality cropland, and high-quality cropland, a county conservation board or DNR may only spend up to a certain percentage of the property’s value as estimated by the Iowa land trends and values survey published biannually by the realtors land institute —— Iowa chapter. The capped price as it relates to acquisitions by DNR includes all moneys provided by DNR and any moneys provided from a federal or other source. The capped price shall be calculated only for the portion of a parcel that is purchased. A person who sells a parcel to a county conservation board or DNR for the capped price for the parcel shall not consider the difference between the capped price for the parcel and the farmland value survey estimated value for the parcel to be deductible for determining taxable income for state tax purposes. However, a person may consider the difference between the sale price and the capped price as deductible for determining taxable income for state tax purposes if the sale price is below the capped price for the parcel. The bill does not apply to a bona fide donation of land made for no consideration.