Thus, it probably makes sense to a administer and fund PDR in ways that allow the costs of PDR to be more broadly distributed. Implementing and managing PDR programs at the county level would provide a way of spreading the cost of PDR to cover urban as well as rural areas. At the same time, county funding for PDR offered on a matching basis could help to leverage funding commitments for PDR from local government, thereby augmenting the total amount of funding available. Counties have numerous ways that they can fund PDR programs. They can issue general obligation bonds, purchase the development rights to a substantial amount of agricultural land, and then pay off the cost of the bonds over many years by dedicating a portion of county property tax collections to that purpose.
Counties can also fund PDR with county sales tax revenue.
The best hope for achieving a solid base of funding for PDR, of course, would be for state government to appropriate funding for that purpose. In most states where PDR -programs are operating, state governments have provided a nucleus of funding. As yet, no state funding has yet been authorized for PDR in Wisconsin. State funding for PDR need not result in state control of where PDR funds are spent. Rather, state funding could be made available on a matching basis to counties which establish and administer PDR programs.