Politics & Government

Community Preservation Fund Revenue Hits 6-Year High

The Community Preservation Fund brought in $64.7 million in first 9 months of 2013.

Community Preservation revenues are on track to produce the highest annual total since 2007, according to Assemblyman Fred Thiele, who recently released the 3/4 year mark collection totals.

According to Thiele, in the first 9 months of 2013, the CPF fund, a taxing program that was created in 1999 to preserve land on the East End of Long Island, collected $64.7 million — 46.5 percent more than last year during the same time period.

The money was collected, said Thiele through 6,114 real estate transactions, compared to the 4,532 a year ago.

East Hampton made the highest gains on the South Fork, collecting $13.66 million, a 53.1 percent increase; Southampton next, collecting $25.68 million, a 45.7 million increase.

On the North Fork, Southold collected $2.74 million, a 8.8 percent increase; Riverhead took in 1.25 million, a 41.6 percent increase and Shelter Island yielded .83 million, a 94 percent increase.

Since the program's inception, East End municipalities have used the funds to purchases 10,000 of acres of farmland and open space and as of earlier this month, a new law, signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo allows those government entities to use the money to buy undeveloped waterfront space with a goal protecting shorelines that are at risk of coastal flooding due to projected sea level rise and storms.

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