Please contact your Massachusetts State Senator and ask him/her to support Amendment #3 to the State Operating Budget which would increase funding for the Community Preservation Act! Amendment #3, filed by Senator Cynthia Stone Creem, has the same language that was used to support the funding increase in the House ($30 increase for most documents which raises the total CPA fee to $50).
In late April, the House approved language in its budget to increase fees on certain real estate transactions to generate matching funds for the Community Preservation Act (CPA) Trust Fund. The fees for these transactions have not increased since the CPA was enacted in 2000. The bills would increase fees by $20-$50 for most documents and $10 to $25 for municipal lien certificates. While approved in the House, the Senate Ways and Means budget did not include language raising the CPA registry recording fees, so Senator Creem filed amendment #3. This fee increase would generate approximately $36 million for the CPA Trust Fund beginning in the fall or 2010.