Mission:
The Horses Love Clarence (HLC) Committee is a group of Clarence residents and business owners dedicated to maintaining the rural atmosphere of Clarence, retaining open spaces, and preserving farm land.
To accomplish this mission, we need to collect our efforts and lobby the town to purchase development rights from land owners, encourage developers to consider horse related projects and inform the people of Clarence of the benefits of having more horses as opposed to building more housing. According to the New York Agriculture Statistics Services, the average expenditure for one horse in a year is $4,188.00. That’s $4,188.00 per horse that goes into the town’s economy.
Ultimate Goal:
The Committee’s ultimate goal is to make Clarence the Horse Capital of Erie County. Currently, there are over 7,200 horses on Erie County’s 674,857 acres, or 6.83 horses per square mile, making Erie the second most equine populated County in New York State. By becoming the Horse Capital of Erie County, or even New York State, Clarence may be eligible for more County and/or State assistance with farm land preservation.
What You Can Do:
Stay informed. Read your local newspaper for news stories or other news items that could be detrimental to the equine industry. Attend town meetings. Support the New York State Farm Bureau (see below). Or you can simply add your name to the HLC Committee list. Contact us by e-mail and ask that your name or business be added to the website (see ‘Committee List’ link below). There are no meetings to attend or dues to be paid. You may be contacted in the future to supply a signature for a petition, make a phone call to town hall, or send a letter supporting our cause. Remember, there is strength in numbers. Finally, support your local businesses. You will find a list of equine related businesses that support the HLC Committee at the ‘Equine Related Businesses’ link below.
New York State Farm Bureau:
The NYS Farm Bureau works for you in your State Capitol, and helped pass laws that: Establish a Farmer's and Commercial Horse Boarders NYS Sales Tax Exemption on many farm purchases saving NY's farmers millions annually. Include commercial horseboarding operations in the definition of a farm operation under the agricultural districts program for right to farm protections. Allow farmers engaged in raising, breeding, and boarding of livestock, including commercial horseboaders, to qualify for the farm structure and building real property tax exemption, saving you money in taxes when you invest in new farm buildings. Save commercial horseboarders money by accessing the NYS agricultural exemption on real property taxes on a statewide basis. Allow thoroughbred breeders in NYS to include their breeders' awards in income calculations used for the agricultural assessment. By becoming a member, you can help support the farmers in NY State as well as the equine industry. Please visit their website via the link below for more information.
Contact Information:
Address: Hans Mobius
6879 Salt Road
Clarence, NY 14031
Phone: (716)741-6900
E-mail: HJMobius@msn.com
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