5 days ago
Community Preservation Committee to hold informational meeting
SOUTHWICK — It often happens at Town Meeting and is often seen on various social media platforms that focus on town issues. Residents want to know: 'Why do we need a splash pad when we can't fix our roads?'
For Community Preservation Committee Coordinator Sabrina Pooler the answer is simple.
'The funding for the splash pad comes from revenues generated by the town's participation in the state's Community Preservation Act. The projects are not directly funded by taxpayers,' she said.
She did, however, recognize that it can be confusing.
'It's a surcharge that you'll see on your tax bill,' she said.
In 2002, Town Meeting voted to participate in the program that had only been signed into law two years before, and it was one of the first.
This is how the CPA program's surcharge works.
For a property valued at $300,000, $100,000 is exempted. Multiply $200,000 by the current tax rate of $15.57 per every $1,000, and a property owner's tax annual tax bill would be $3,114. That $3,114 is multiplied by the 3% surcharge, which adds $92.82 annually, or $7.73 monthly to the tax bill.
But that is only what local taxpayers contribute to the Community Preservation Act fund.
The state matches the surplus funds generated by deed recording fees at various percentages.
'After residents adopted the surcharge, there were only a few towns and cities that were taking advantage of the program,' Pooler said.
'For a few years the state was matching 100% of the surcharges collected,' she said, adding that up until a few years ago the town was still getting an 80% match.
As the program has been adopted by more municipalities that in turn lowered the state match, she said.
Pooler said the state's match this year for the town was at nearly 39%, which amounted to $192,843 based on $487,819 collected in local surcharge fees.
When the town adopted the surcharge, it also set it at the maximum allowed: 3%.
That allows the town to qualify for three separate payments during the fiscal year.
As an example of the difference, in Agawam, it had surcharge collections of $629,673, a quarter more than Southwick's, but the state only matched 18% of collections for a total of $113,000. That's because Agawam's surcharge is 1% of a resident's tax bill.
While Town Meeting-approved projects have drained some of the CPA accounts, there is still $2.3 million in its general unrestricted fund, $76.000 in its Open Space account, $724,800 in its Affordable Housing account, and $307,200 in its Historic Preservation account.
Projects must fit the criteria for protecting open space, the rehabilitation or new construction of affordable housing, and historic preservation.
With those funds available, Pooler said the Community Preservation Committee is inviting residents to an informational meeting to have the program explained in greater detail.
It will be held on Wednesday, June 18 at 6 p.m., at Town Hall.
'We really want to educate our residents about this program. And most of the time no one attends this once-a-year this meeting,' she said.
She's also hoping that there might be some nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations in town that would like to pursue a project that is accessible to all town residents.
As an example, she said an organization like the Rotary Club of Southwick might want to build an amphitheater for its summer concert series.
To do that, it would need to come up with estimates for every detail of the project from the cost of the property to buying an acoustic shell or bandshell.
'Technically, they're supposed to shovel ready,' Pooler said.
But the only way to know if an organization like the Rotary Club or a PTO can propose a project is to submit an application with the details, or if possible, attending the meeting on June 18.
Because it might take as long as a year for a project to be approved by the CPC and then Town Meeting.
'We had a Boy Scout come in a want to apply, but he needed the funds nearly right away. It just doesn't work that way,' she said.
Since the program started in 2002, $18 million has been allocated for 43 projects, from preserving town documents to repairing the slate roof at the police station.
Read the original article on MassLive.
