If Beaufort County officials and Washington officials agree, some land at the Washington-Beaufort County Industrial Park could be leased to farmers.

During its meeting today, the Washington City Council will consider leasing 77.53 acres at the industrial park in western Beaufort County to JOC Farms LLC (Joseph Briley Jr. and family) for terms of one year, according to a memorandum from City Manager Bobby Roberson to the mayor and council. The county owns 55 percent of the industrial park, with the city owning the remaining 45 percent of the property. If the lease were approved, the yearly rent would be $9,303.60 (based on $120 per acre).

The rent would be split between the county and city, each receiving revenue based on the percentage of its ownership of the industrial park. The county would receive $5,116.98 under that formula, with the city receiving the remaining $4.186.62.

The memorandum notes the city and county finds it does not currently have a superior use for the property, at this time. The county would have to approve the lease, too.

The property is vacant, not producing revenue for the city and county. Renting the land for agricultural use would produce income for the city and county, notes the memorandum. The lease would begin Jan. 1, 2017.

If the county and city find a buyer for the land, it’s possible JOC Farms would lose crops because the new owner would take possession of the land. If that occurs, the city and county would compensate JOC Farms for any losses. The amount of such a payment would be determined by multiplying the number of acres lost by the average gross sales of the remaining acres covered by the lease.

In other business, the council is scheduled to consider adopting a capital-project ordinance for improving the water system at the Spring Road Mobile Home Park. Funding for the constructing is being transferred through available Economic Development Assistance funds from the EDA water and sewer grant projects.

The total project cost is $240,000, which includes $40,000 for engineering and $200,000 for construction.

The council meets at 5:30 p.m. today in the Council Chambers in the Municipal Building, 102 E. Second St. To view the council’s agenda for a specific meeting, visit the city’s web­site at www.washingtonnc.gov, click “City Agendas.” Locate the appropriate agenda (by date) under the “Washington City Council” heading, then click on that specific agenda listing.