Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
On Oct. 6, Gov. Charlie Baker, Senate President Stan Rosenberg and House Speaker Robert DeLeo joined activists and municipal officials at the State House to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Community Preservation Act.
The celebration featured Community Preservation Awards honoring 10 volunteers who were recognized for their contributions to the success of the CPA.
The speakers announced that a bill to sustain Community Preservation revenue received a favorable recommendation from the Joint Committee on Revenue and has advanced to the House Committee on Ways and Means. The bill would provide a higher annual CPA Trust Fund distribution for all CPA communities. The chief sponsors of the bill are Rep. Stephen Kulik and Sen. Cynthia Stone Creem.
This year’s state match rate, to be announced on Oct. 31, is expected to be an all-time low.
During fiscal 2015, 156 cities and towns collected the local Community Preservation Act surcharge and are eligible for state matching grants in fiscal 2016. The Division of Local Services this summer estimated that the balance in the state trust fund will be sufficient to provide a first-round match of only 18 percent of the surcharge levied by each city and town.
The CPA allows participating municipalities to place a surcharge of up to 3 percent on real property in order to create a local dedicated fund for the four allowable CPA purposes: open space preservation, historic preservation, outdoor recreation and affordable housing. Adoption of the CPA triggers annual distributions from the state’s CPA Trust Fund, which derives its revenue from fees collected at registries of deeds.
Distribution amounts from the CPA Trust Fund to communities have declined precipitously in recent years. At one time, the state’s CPA match was 100 percent.