The Coalition has received word that DOR's upcoming FY16 budget memo will include an estimate of 18% for the November 2015 first round CPA Trust Fund distribution.  Of course, cities and towns with a surcharge of 3% will receive additional funding in rounds two and three.  The record-low estimate is the result of a decline in collections at the state's Registries of Deeds over the past 18 months. The final budget memo is expected to be released soon, and we'll send along a link to the memo when it comes out.

Is there a chance for a higher distribution?

Yes, but only if legislators feel CPA is important enough to once again transfer state surplus funds, if available, to the CPA Trust Fund.  Even in lean budget years such as this one, the state often has a surplus.  If there is one, we are hoping that CPA can once again be first in line to receive funding. 

What can you do to help?

Contact your state legislators, either by phone or email, and urge that they support surplus funding for CPA during the upcoming House and Senate budget debates. 

• Contact information for your state representative(s) can be found here.

• Contact information for your state senator(s) can be found here.

• If you don't know the name of your legislators,  click here to search using your home address.

The Coalition is pursing two roads to obtaining an increase in revenue for the CPA Trust Fund.

As you read above, our short-term solution for 2015 is to once again obtain funding from the state budget surplus, if available. The House of Representatives will make a decision on this in April, while the Senate will follow in May.
  

But the surplus is not a long-term solution.  For that, we'll need legislation to increase collections for CPA at the state's Registries of Deeds.   Legislation has been filed that would adjust the Registry fees to provide for a minimum 50% CPA Trust Fund distribution for all 158 CPA communities. "An Act to Sustain Community Preservation Revenue" was filed in the House by Rep. Stephen Kulik (HB2587) and in the Senate by Sen. Cynthia Stone Creem (SD670).  The bill is likely headed to the legislature's Committee on Revenue, and the next step is for a hearing to be scheduled on the bill. 

Thanks to your hard work, 88 state Senators and Representatives signed on to co-sponsor the CPA bill!  We extend our thanks to these legislators, and to the members of Community Preservation Committees statewide who reached out to their elected officials. You'll want to check our list of sponsors and see if your legislators are supporting CPA, and please thank them if they are. 

Read on for the list of co-sponsors and additional information about this legislation...

The new 2015 Housing and Urban Development (HUD) income guidelines have been released. These figures are used by CPA communities to determine eligibility for exemptions to the CPA surcharge.  The figures are also used to determine the income limits for those who will occupy CPA-funded community housing developments. The limits are updated annually, and the Coalition then prepares a spreadsheet showing the amounts for each community in the state.