CPF Extended and Expanded

by Jorie Latham

Thanks to our forward-thinking representatives in the state legislature, the Community Preservation Fund now can be extended to 2050 (it’s currently set to expire in 2030). Additionally, a portion of the funds collected with this 2% tax on real estate transfers can be used for specific water-quality projects.

Senator Ken LaValle and Assemblyman Fred Thiele have presented Bill Number: S5324, which passed into law (unanimously!) in December. It adds twenty years to the life of CPF and allows the town boards within the Peconic Bay region (East Hampton, Riverhead, Shelter Island, Southampton and Southold) to utilize a maximum of 20% of the CPF to finance the implementation of water-quality improvement projects, including wastewater treatment, aquatic habitat restoration and pollution prevention. In addition, CPF funds could be used to match any federal, state, county or other funds up to a maximum of 10% of water-quality improvement funding for the operation of the Peconic Bay National Estuary Program (PEP).

Any of the towns that want to make use of the provisions in the bill must implement a local law subject to a mandatory referendum pursuant to municipal home rule law. WATCH FOR IT AND SUPPORT IT ON THE BALLOT IN NOVEMBER!

Begun in 1999, the Peconic Bay Community Preservation Fund (CPF) has raised over $1 billion to protect over 10,000 acres of land on the East End for open space, farmland, historic preservation and recreational purposes. While there is understandable concern about altering this effective tool for environmental well-being, we believe every care will be taken to ensure that the public is informed of any plans to use CPF funds for water quality projects. We wholeheartedly agree with the conclusion of the bill itself:

“The East End, surrounded entirely by water, is a community whose history, economy and character is dependent upon clean water for recreation, tourism and shellfishing. Maintaining the ecological health of local bays is just as crucial to protecting the character of the community as preserving open space has been.”