Dille to lead land use task force

State Sen. Steve Dille, R-Dassel, will chair the Farmland and Open Space Preservation Task Force, a group of leaders seeking ways to preserve and protect farmland and open spaces in Minnesota.

The group was established with the passing of a land use bill Dille sponsored earlier this year. Its members include:
• State Sen. Jim Vickerman, D-Tracy,
• State Rep. Dean Urdahl, R-Grove City,
• Rep. Larry Hosch, D-St. Joseph,
• Craig Johnson, League of Minnesota Cities,
• Annalee Garletz, Association of Minnesota Counties, and
• Kent Sulem, Minnesota Association of Townships.

Task force members unanimously chose Dille to chair their group, which will meet Sept. 22 to discuss long- and short-term strategies to preserve farmland and open space. The task force will report its findings and recommendations for further proposed legislation no later than Jan. 30, 2009.

(Jorge Sosa is a staff writer for the Hutchinson Leader. He can be reached at sosa@hutchinsonleader.com)