LEBANON — The City Council voted unanimously to accept a 23-acre property across the road from the Signal Hill Conservation area Wednesday night.
The council made its decision after about five minutes of public comment and a brief discussion about the financial implications of the gift from Lebanon residents Sally and Jerry Rutter, who have owned the land since 1998.
The parcel is mostly undeveloped meadows with some forests and grassland. It has 1,500 feet of frontage along the Blodgett Brook.
Residents questioned whether accepting the property would mean lost tax revenue or development potential for the city, but the council confirmed that the land is in current use and only contributes about $30 per year in taxes. If the city did not accept the property, it would still be conserved land.
The city will enter a conservation easement for the property with the Upper Valley Land Trust.
The terms of that easement, such as whether the land will be publicly accessible and how it can be used, have not yet been determined. The city and the land trust will agree on the terms and include them in the deed when the land is transferred to the city.
