Regarding Templeton CPC Funds:
Funds are raised locally through imposition of a voter-authorized surcharge on local property tax bills of 3%. Several exemptions to the CPA surcharge can also be authorized by voters at the time of adoption. Local adoption of CPA by a community triggers annual distributions from the state's Community Preservation Trust Fund, a statewide fund held by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, which the law also establishes. Deed recording fees charged by the state's Registries of Deeds are the funding source for the statewide Community Preservation Trust Fund. Revenues from these two sources—the local CPA property tax surcharge and annual distributions from the state's Community Preservation Trust Fund—combine to form a city or town's Community Preservation Fund.
CPC funds are not free money, it is tax dollars and fee dollars paid by you.
Communities may spend their CPA funds for projects in the following broad programmatic areas: Open Space, Historic Preservation, Affordable Housing and Outdoor Recreation. The CPA requires each adopting community to annually appropriate, or reserve for future appropriation, at least 10% of its estimated annual CPA fund revenues for open space projects (excluding recreational uses), 10% for historic preservation projects, and 10% for affordable housing projects. The remaining funds each year can be used on projects in any CPA programmatic area. The CPA statute describes in detail allowable uses of the funds within the four broad programmatic purpose areas, determining what projects are eligible for CPA funding.
Note: There are no CPC funds automatically designated for recreation use or for recreation commission.
As of November of 2019, 176 cities and towns (50% of the state's municipalities) have adopted the Community Preservation Act, and no community has ever revoked the program. Because of the rising number of communities participating in the program, legislation was passed in 2019 to increase the recording fees at the Registries of Deeds which provide revenue to the statewide CPA Trust Fund. This increase is expected to raise an estimated $60 million annually for CPA communities each year. (Communities that adopt CPA with the full 3% CPA surcharge are eligible to participate in two additional annual CPA fund distribution rounds each year, and the funding formula within the CPA law governing these rounds allows some smaller, less resource-rich communities to often receive a dollar for dollar annual match for CPA funds raised locally.)
As anyone can see, things change, and this program like many other things involved in government, requires much continual reading to keep up with changes in laws, funding, regulations and keeping local documentation and records up to date.
Maybe this is why the article for 230 thousand for Gilman Waite failed, it was past the deadline. Now posted on town website under community preservation community: What is the timetable of the funding cycle?
Applications may be submitted between December 7, 2008 and January 31, 2009 for proposals to be considered at the May 2008 Annual Town Meeting.
Unless an applicant can demonstrate that a significant opportunity would otherwise be lost, applications will not be accepted after this date.
