Farmland valuation advisory commission; expenditures

Section 11. There is hereby created a farmland valuation advisory commission, the members of which shall be the commissioner of revenue who shall be chairman, the commissioner of agriculture, commissioner of the department of conservation and recreation, the secretary of housing and livable communities, the dean of the college of food and natural resources of the University of Massachusetts, or their respective designees, and one person to be appointed by the governor who shall be a member of a local board of assessors. The commission shall meet from time to time at the call of any of the above named commissioners and shall determine, for application during the ensuing tax year, a range of values on a per acre basis for each of the several classifications of land in agricultural or horticultural or forest land uses in the several counties of the commonwealth. The annual list of value ranges so determined shall be published by the commissioner of revenue and shall be mailed by him to the board of assessors of each city and town in the commonwealth no later than April 1 of each year. In determining such ranges in value, the commission shall consider evidence of agricultural or horticultural land use capability available from soil surveys and such other evidence and documentation as may, in its judgment, appear pertinent.

The commissioner of revenue may expend such sums as may be appropriated for the farmland valuation advisory commission for the purposes of securing data for use in determinations by said commission and for expenses incurred in the administration of this chapter.