State Legislature May Not Finalize Surplus Funding for CPA in Time for November 2022 Trust Fund Distribution

Over the summer, we reported that an unusual turn of events disrupted the Legislature’s plans for allocating the state budget surplus, including a $20M distribution that was intended for the CPA Trust Fund. As of today, a bill to close out the books for the FY22 state budget has not yet appeared for a vote.

While it’s still possible that the Legislature may work out the details by the end of October, this is looking increasingly unlikely given that key legislators are still citing various “complications” with completing the task. That means that any state budget surplus funds that may ultimately be allocated for the CPA Trust Fund are unlikely to be certified in time for the November 15th distribution. However, this isn’t an unprecedented situation, and we may be seeing a repeat of what occurred during the 2021 state budget process.

Last year, the budget surplus bill did not get approved until mid-December, almost an entire month after CPA communities received their annual distributions from the CPA Trust Fund. The $10 million included in that bill for CPA was sent in a second distribution to municipalities in January of 2022. Given how late the FY22 state budget surplus discussions are trending, it’s very possible that this same distribution model could occur again this year.

The Coalition continues to advocate for the $20 million to be included in the final state budget closeout bill—we have reminded legislators that this funding is vital for local community preservation initiatives, and would be necessary in order for CPA communities to receive matching funds on par with last year. We will continue work with the legislature and provide further updates as they are available.