Community Preservation Act (CPA) Information

What is the Community Preservation Act (CPA)?

The Community Preservation Act (CPA) was created by state law (MGL Chapter 44B). It allows cities and towns to adopt a property tax surcharge to help fund projects that preserve the character of the community. Springfield voters adopted the CPA on November 8, 2016 and it went into effect on July 1, 2017.

How is the CPA funded?

The CPA fund is created via a 1.5% surcharge on real estate taxes for residential, commercial, and industrial properties.  These charges first appeared on Fiscal Year 2018's 3rd and 4th quarter real estate bills. A statewide Community Preservation Act Trust Fund is also distributed to municipalities and is funded by Registry of Deeds fees.

How is the CPA surcharge calculated?

The CPA in Springfield exempts the first $100,000 of value for residential and commercial properties*. After the exemption is applied, the resulting value is then multiplied by the tax rate and the CPA rate, which is 1.5%. The resulting annual CPA is then divided evenly amongst the four quarterly real estate tax bills for any given fiscal year**. 
 

* If you don’t know your assessed valuation, you can check it on the Assessor’s Website.
 

 

Do any exemptions to the surcharge exist?

Yes, households that qualify for low-income, or low or moderate-income housing, as defined by M.G.L. c. 44B, Section 2 are exempt from the CPA surcharge in its entirety.  The low-income exemption applies to property owners under the age of 60 and the moderate income exemption applies to property owners aged 60 years or older. The area wide median income is determined annually by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Click here to review the income limit guidelines for a CPA surcharge exemption

Click here for a Community Preservation Act Exemption application.  

(Note: The deadline for applications for exemptions is 4/1/21)

 

What types of projects can the CPA fund?

This revenue will be kept in a locally controlled fund that can help with:

  • Acquisition, Creation, and Preservation of Open Space
  • Rehabilitation or Restoration of Open Space acquired through the CPA
  • Acquisition, Creation, Preservation, Rehabilitation, and Restoration of Recreational Land
  • Acquisition, Preservation, Rehabilitation, and Restoration of Historic Resources
  • Acquisition, Creation, Preservation, Support of Community Housing and Rehabilitation or Restoration of Community Housing acquired through the CPA 

Who administers the CPA fund?

Implementation and recommending projects to the City Council for funding of the CPA in Springfield is overseen by the City's 9-member Community Preservation Committee. Representatives are appointed from each of the departments below and three neighborhood appointees by the City Council President.

  • LaMar Cook, Neighborhood representative;
  • Gloria DeFillipo, Planning Board representative;
  • Juanita Martinez, Conservation Commission representative;
  • Robert McCarroll, Chair, Springfield Preservation Trust representative;
  • Terry Mitchell, Neighborhood representative;
  • David Finn, Historical Commission representative;
  • Willie Thomas, Housing Authority representative;
  • Terry Rodriguez, Park Commission representative
  • Ralph Slate, Neighborhood representative

The Springfield Community Preservation Committee (CPC) meets on the first Tuesday each month. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the Committee will continue to meet remotely. Meetings are open to the public and can be viewed live or the next day. www.facebook.com/SpringfieldCommunityPreservationCommittee   

Some meetings were recorded by Focus Springfield and are available on the Community Preservation Committee playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htJJMVRh8IE&list=PLolIYDZfz1YIh5SiXJXppYWJIVSmFt0X7 

 

For the meeting dates, times and agendas, please check the City Calendar.

A public speak out is held after each remote meeting. Send an email to cpc@springfieldcityhall.com at least 24 hours before the scheduled meeting (advance notice not necessary for live meetings). Comments mailed or sent electronically become part of the public record.

Covid-19 updates from the Mayor’s Office of Communication

 

How to Apply for 2021 CPA Funding: Schedule and Project Review Process

The Community Preservation Committee will conduct one funding round in 2021 as follows :

  • Application Workshop - February 2
  • Application Workshop - March 2
  • Applications Due  - April 1
  • Meeting with Applicants - April & May
  • Deliberations  - June & July
  • Recommendations to City Council -  August       

Note: The CPC cannot predict the time for the City Council approval process.

 

 

Learn how to craft an application for CPA funding!

There will be two virtual workshops on February 2 and March 2. Workshops begins at 6:00 PM with a public Q&A after the presentation. The content for each workshop is the same and you may sign up for either or both dates.

Register in advance for February 2nd  

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYkdOmvqTsvGtB5qvgFxDX2pIgW0N_Io-Lh

Register in advance for March 2nd 

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEud-morTkqEt0xqnIRhimOUpDBMMae2Ai2

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Having trouble registering? Send an email to cpc@springfieldcityhall.com

The workshops will be recorded and can be viewed live on the Committee's Facebook page.  

Application Process

Mail completed Applications (11 copies) to the Community Preservation Committee, Room 412, 36 Court Street, Springfield 01103, or (if possible) the applications may be hand delivered to the Budget Office, Room 412 of City Hall by April 1, 2021.

In addition, a digital copy of the application must be emailed to cpc@springfieldcityhall.com

For questions on the application process telephone 413-530-1268 or email Klee@springfieldcityhall.com

Additional Resources

City of Springfield Community Preservation Plan 2021

Department of Revenue (DOR) Community Preservation Fund Allowable Spending Chart

Community Preservation Act:http://www.communitypreservation.org/text-legislation

Community Preservation Ordinance:https://ecode360.com/32319903?highlight=community%20preservation%20committee#32319903

Community Preservation Coalition:http://www.communitypreservation.org/ 

Housing

Springfield and its Neighborhoods 2019 (Census Data)

https://www.springfield-ma.gov/planning/fileadmin/Planning_files/Springfield_and_its_Neighborhoods_4-8-19.pdf

Historic

Massachusetts State Historic Plan for 2018-2020

https://www.sec.state.ma.us/mhc/mhcpdf/statepresplan20182022webversion.pdf

Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System (MACRIS) database (inventory) of surveyed properties compiled by Massachusetts Historic Commission (MHC) http://mhc-macris.net/

1939 Works Progress Administration (WPA) search local historic properties. https://www.springfieldpreservation.org/wpa/

The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties https://www.nps.gov/tps/standards/treatment-guidelines-2017.pdf

Technical Preservation Services, U.S. Department of the Interior (see brief 17 for general preservation of architectural character).  https://www.nps.gov/tps/how-to-preserve/briefs.htm

Open Space, Recreation, Conservation

City of Springfield Open Space & Recovery Action Plan 2015–2022

https://www.springfield-ma.gov/planning/fileadmin/Planning_files/Open_Space_Plan/OpenSpace_DRAFT2015_KC.pdf

Page last updated:  Monday, February 22, 2021 03:08 pm