City Manager Letter

Listed below are the recommendations of the Community Preservation Act Committee (CPAC) for FY15. For additional information, please see attachments from the CPA Committee Chair, Lisa Peterson, dated September 9, 2014

The CPA public process this year began with a public meeting held on June 19, 2014, to solicit suggestions on CPA projects for FY15. Based on that meeting and other inputs, the CPAC was provided information on project funding requests without any recommendations for percentage allocations of anticipated CPA funds. A public hearing was held on August 5, 2014, to solicit recommendations from the public on percentage allocations. The CPAC also received several petitions, letters and e-mails from the public relative to CPA recommendations. The CPAC, on September 9, 2014, unanimously voted for an allocation of 80% for Affordable Housing, 10% for Historical Preservation Projects and 10% for Open Space Projects.

In accordance with the CPAC's recommendations, I am requesting that the City Council appropriate CPA funds raised by the City's FY2015 CPA surcharge, the FY14 state match funds received in FY15 and a portion of the existing CPA fund balance.

For this appropriation, it is estimated that the net local receipts from the CPA surcharge for FY15 will total $7,800,000, with an additional state match of approximately $1,700,000. In addition, $3,000,000 from CPA Fund Balance is being recommended for appropriation, plus an additional $10,000 from the Fund Balance for annual membership dues to the Community Preservation Coalition.

On September 9, 2014, the CPAC made recommendations for allocation of these FY15 funds. By unanimous votes, the CPAC recommended to the City Council, through the City Manager, that the CPA funds be allocated and appropriated as follows:

Recommended FY15 Allocation and Appropriation of CPA Funds

VOTE 1:   Fiscal Year 2015 Local Funds ($7,800,000)

80% of FY15 CPA Local Fund revenues

) allocated to Affordable Housing and appropriated to the Cambridge Affordable Housing Trust.

10% of FY15 CPA Local Fund revenues ($

) allocated to Historic Preservation as follows:

appropriated to the Historic Preservation Grants program

) allocated to Open Space as follows:

appropriated to Sacramento Field

appropriated to Cambridgeport School Playground

VOTE 2:   Fiscal Year 2014 State Funds [received in FY15] ($1,700,000)

80% of FY14 State Match revenues ($

10% of FY14 State Match revenues ($

appropriated to Magazine Beach landscape plan

appropriated to Old Burying Ground

appropriated to O'Connell Library Branch exterior

appropriated to Rebind Atlases and Directories

appropriated to Pacific Street Park

appropriated to Haggerty School Playground

VOTE 3:   CPA Fund Balance ($3,000,000)

) allocated to Affordable Housing and appropriated to the Affordable Housing Trust.

appropriated to the O'Connell Library Branch exterior

appropriated to Sennott Park Basketball Courts

VOTE 4:   CPA Fund Balance - Administration ($10,000)

appropriated to Administrative Costs for Community Preservation Coalition Membership Dues.

Summary of Recommended Appropriations by Expenditure Type

FY15 Total Amount Allocated/ Appropriate All Sources

-Historical Preservation Grants

-O'Connell Library Branch exterior

-Magazine Beach Landscape Plan

-Rebind Atlases and Directories

-Cambridgeport School Playground

-Sennott Park Basketball Courts

Administrative/ Community Preservation Coalition

. Summary of Recommended Appropriations by Funding Source

Historic Preservation Projects

Admin./Community Preservation Coalition Membership Dues