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, which will begin to appear on the Fiscal Year 2018 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.
** For Fiscal Year 2018, the CPA surcharge will appear on the 3rd and 4th quarter real estate bills.

 

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 

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 view the income limits for the current year.

Click here for an Community Preservation Act Exemption application.  (Note: applications for exemptions must be filed with the Assessor's Office on or before April 1, 2018)

 

Who administers the CPA fund?

The Community Preservation Committee (CPC) is tasked with overseeing implementation and recommending projects to the City Council for funding. Its nine members are:

  • LaMar Cook, neighborhood representative;
  • Gloria DeFillipo, Planning Board representative;
  • Juanita Martinez, Conservation Commission representative;
  • Robert McCarroll, 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 CPC meets monthly. Meetings are open to the public. For the meeting times, locations, and agendas, please check the City Calendar.

 The CPC can be contacted at:

cpc@springfieldcityhall.com

Or:

Community Preservation Committee, City Hall, 36 Court Street, Springfield MA

Schedule and Project Review Process

  • The CPC will conduct one funding round in the calendar year 2020 as follows:
  • Full Applications due April 1
  • Meetings with applicants April & May
  • Deliberations June & July
  • Recommendations to City Council July

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

 

The Community Preservation Committee is hosting two informational workshops on the application process

Bring your questions and hear from previous CPC recipients about crafting a successful application. 

Learn what types of projects are funded (please review the DOR Chart and the current Community Preservation Plan (linked above).  

The Committee is especially interested in receiving applications from individuals and civic groups for community-related projects that fall within the CPA (and DOR)  guidelines. Light refreshments.

 

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

The new East Forest Park Library Community Room (CPC funded the Reading Garden project, 2018)

136 Surrey Rd, Springfield, MA 01118

6:30 pm

 

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

Wesley United Methodist Church (next to Mason Square Library)

 741 State St, Springfield, MA 01109

 6:30 pm

 

Please visit the CPC Facebook page for more workshop information or send an email to klee@SpringfieldCityHall.com.  

Page last updated:  Friday, February 7, 2020 01:18 pm