Dwindling state funds for the Community Preservation Act have some officials in the seven Franklin County towns that adopted it concerned about what that will mean for future projects.
“This money is a reinvestment in our towns,” said Lara Dubin, chairwoman of the Community Preservation Committee in Northfield. “We use the money we raise and the money we receive from the state, and we put it back into our town.”
Dubin said she and the committee are concerned about dwindling funds but hope that state legislators are able to give the program the boost it needs.
“We’ll take whatever we can get, because something is better than nothing, so we’re not complaining,” she said. “We’ll just take care of whatever we get, making sure it is used wisely.”
Communities in the program impose a surcharge on local property taxes, anywhere from one-half to 3 percent. Then, the state matches the amount by a certain percentage, depending on where the town or city decides to cap their contribution. The state receives money from each town — a $20 fee assessed on certain real estate transactions through registries of deeds — and that money goes into a pot and is redistributed according to what each town is raising itself.
The CPA, which became law in September 2000, allows municipalities to use the money to fund projects that: preserve open space; allow them to acquire, restore, rehabilitate or preserve historic sites; create affordable housing; and acquire, create or preserve land for public recreation.
Northfield, which has spent about $388,787 in CPA money since 2009, has restored the town clock and Town Hall’s front steps, constructed a Civil War memorial, replaced old playground equipment at the elementary school and much more.
Northfield started out with a contribution of the maximum 3 percent, but a year later, the town voted to reduce that to a half percent. A couple of the reasons, Dubin said she believes, were the state’s dwindling match and concerns about rising taxes. The town tried again last year to raise its contribution to 1 percent, but that was voted down. So far, the town has received about $140,000 from the state.
Dubin said the more a town contributes, the bigger the match from the state. For instance, when Northfield was at 3 percent, it received a full match. At one-half percent, it receives about a 20 percent match.
“This is a great program,” she said.
It was Gov. Paul Cellucci who signed the CPA into law with the intent of the state matching 100 percent of what each municipality raised by its property tax surcharge. As more towns joined the CPA — about half the towns and cities in Massachusetts at this point — state funds began to dwindle and it began to depend on budget surplus money to help.
Gov. Charlie Baker has said the state will have to “make some adjustments” to the program’s funding formula to make sure it is funded properly. It was originally funded by the state at a 100 percent match. Over the years, it has fallen from 100 percent to 67 percent in 2008 and between 11 and 13 percent most recently. Baker has said he would sign a bill that would at least bring state funding up to 50 percent.
The Legislature has made efforts to update the law over the past few years, but without much success. House Bill 2463 and Senate Bill 1618 died in committee, but new, updated bills have been filed — that happens every two years if a bill hasn’t moved — and Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton,said she is hopeful. In the new bill, the Senate, in an attempt to raise more money, has asked that the fee charged by the registries of deeds across the state increase from $20 to $75, for instance.
State matching funds are distributed to all participating cities and towns in October. Voters approve projects at their town meetings in the spring.
Comerford said the state House and Senate are working hard to make sure the CPA program not only stays intact but expands.
“Towns and cities have an advocate in me,” Comerford said. “I’m actively working to make sure we find new or expanded revenue streams, so that the CPA can remain viable. The Senate bill has gone to the Revenue Committee, and I sit on it, so I’ll be there advocating strongly.”
Comerford said the reason money for the program has dwindled is that it’s such a popular program.
“We’re seeing the state match dwindle, because the money is spread so thin,” she said. “It’s such a successful program, more and more towns and cities want to get in on it.”
Comerford said she has seen firsthand what the CPA can do.
“When I was on the PTO at my child’s elementary school, Northampton made an investment in a new playground thanks to the CPA,” she said. “The CPA has done some phenomenal things.”
The Franklin County towns that have passed the act are Conway, Deerfield, Leverett, Northfield, Shutesbury, Sunderland and Whately.
Some of the projects those towns have funded include preserving town records and playing field rehabilitation in Whately, and the restoration of the town office building and school playground in Sunderland.
From 2011 — when Whately adopted the act at the maximum of 3 percent — to 2016, the town spent about $300,000 on CPA projects.
Leverett, which voted to adopt the act at the maximum 3 percent in 2002 and added an exemption for homeowners who qualify as low-income, has spent a total of $1.6 million on projects since adopting the CPA. It has restored its highway garage and North Cemetery, created an open space and recreation plan, invested in affordable housing, replaced Town Hall windows and more. The other seven towns have also created exemptions for low-income homeowners.
“Leverett has consistently received the highest allocation from the state, so it hasn’t yet felt the effects of dwindling funds,” Leverett Community Preservation Comission Chairwoman Danielle Barshak said. “I hope that continues into the future.”
Barshak said Leverett has been lucky, she believes, because it was one of the earliest towns to sign on, and because it adopted the maximum 3 percent. She said she hopes legislators can secure a permanently endowed fund through the CPA for years to come.
Conway approved 14 projects from 2006 to 2013, including preservation land around the town’s swimming pool and South River restoration. It has spent $456,811 in seven years.
Comerford said the Senate has filed a bill to make sure the CPA not only keeps going but thrives. She said the House is doing the same, but by putting its request into the budget. The House has proposed a $30 increase to the recording fees at registries of deeds across the state, at least to get matches up this year.
“The CPA is a sweet spot for public investment,” Comerford said. “And each local community gets to prioritize and say where it wants to spend state and local money.”