Community Preservation Committee

March 9, 2006 - Meeting Minutes

Committee members present: George Bailey, Robert Young, Corey Snow, Peg Arguimbau, Janet Sargent-Tracy, Arnold Cohen. Committee members absent: Arnold Kublin. Other people attending: Katherine Roth, Marjorie Asnes, Jane Desberg, D. Ricky Stern, Shirley Schofield, Barbra Nadler, Charlotte Dana, David Grasfield, Dr. Fred Martin, Ira Miller.

For this public forum to present information about CPA, committee members introduced the Community Preservation Fund, gave the history of Sharon's efforts to adopt CPA, estimated first-year available funds ($622,000), and spoke about the suggested guidelines and criteria for submission of proposals. Kathy Roth showed the Community Preservation Coalition’s PowerPoint slides.

Notable points brought out in the discussion were

* Borrowing for bonds needs a two-thirds vote at Town Meeting unlike majority approval of CPC recommendations for spending available funds;

* Town Meeting may vote for or against the committee’s spending recommendations, or reduce but not increase them, and may not change the recommended projects.

* Mr. Young said that proposals for rehabilitating buildings that are part historic and part new (e.g., library) are to be limited to the historic part. He also said that historic houses over 50 years old are eligible for funding.

* Mr. Cohen said that development of CPA-funded housing is different from that of 40B housing in that it must conform to local bylaws and regulations, and the housing may be occupied by people with 100% rather than 80% or below of median income. CPA-funded housing must have an “affordable in perpetuity” restriction and will count toward the state-defined “affordable” tally.

* Ms. Arguimbau mentioned open space goals like protecting present and future well sites, and purchasing easements or land contiguous to existing conservation land. Mr. Bailey suggested that the Water Department could apply for land purchase to protect wells.

* Eligible recreation proposals should be for “outdoor” items (not buildings or “indoor” facilities); not for, e.g., school athletic fields, but for expanding recreation opportunities for the general populace; and not for new items (but possibly “degraded” or “unsafe” items). Kathy Roth stated that recreation was added as a CPA purpose with regard to denser towns that did not have much open space expansion capability, but that it has proved to be a popular purpose, and the Community Preservation Coalition is seeking legislation to clarify CPA funding of recreation.

Mr. Bailey stated that the purpose of the meeting was to get public input about the guidelines and criteria. The letter, form, and guidelines/criteria are to be posted on the Web page in draft form and subsequently posted in permanent form. Three changes were noted already: The letter should cite a deadline of May 31 for Fall Town Meeting; “Community Housing Plan” is to be changed to Housing Production Plan; and the committee’s e-mail address is communitypreservation@townofsharon.org. Jane Desberg requested that the committee include in its guidelines that the rehabilitation or capital improvement (not maintenance) of existing affordable housing is permitted. Kathy Roth said that the word “support” regarding housing in the CPA statute allowed for broader interpretation as to what kind of project was permissible in this area. The public forum ended at 8:30 p.m.

During the business meeting, the committee reviewed the Town Meeting article prepared by Town Counsel concerning authorization of an appropriation of up to 5% of available CPA funds for the committee’s administrative expenses [see below] and, after discussion about removing the phrase “of the Town’s portion,” voted unanimously to accept it as written and forward it to the Selectmen for inclusion in the warrant. A “budget committee” comprising Mr. Bailey, Mr. Snow, and Ms. Sargent-Tracy will prepare a dollar figure and details to explain to Town Meeting what the requested appropriation is for. Town-collected CPA funds would be available from July 1, 2006. State matching funds will be available from October 16, 2006. Kathy Roth volunteered to check whether May Town Meeting could approve an appropriation of up to 5% of the entire expected annual CPA fund (Town- and state-collected) or only up to 5% of the CPA fund available between July 1 and October 15 (Town-collected), as Town Counsel’s article implies. If the latter, an additional request for administrative expenses may have to be presented at November 2006 Town Meeting.

The minutes of February 9, 2006, were unanimously approved as amended. Mr. Bailey prefers, and the committee voted in support, that full names, or title and last name, be used in minutes. The committee bylaws as approved February 9 were adopted without change.

The next meeting is scheduled for March 23, 7 p.m. Agenda: Approve minutes of 3/9; review details prepared by “budget committee”; schedule FinCom review; review any public input on criteria.

Submitted by Alice Cheyer

Interim Secretary

ARTICLE 26

To see if the Town will vote to appropriate up to 5% of the Town's portion of the expected fiscal year 2007 Community Preservation Fund revenues, to permit the Community Preservation Committee to expend funds as it deems necessary for its administrative and operating expenses, in accordance with the provisions of Section 6 of Chapter 44B of the Massachusetts General Laws and Acts and amendments thereof, where said funds are to be taken from the Community Preservation Fund account balance as of October 15, 2006; and permit expenditures in anticipation thereof as of July 1, 2006, or act in any other way relative thereto.