Kingston advisory board reviews draft CPF intake form, hears New Paltz lessons on willing-seller, appraisals and stewardship

The Kingston Community Preservation advisory board on Wednesday discussed a draft intake application for the city's Community Preservation Fund (CPF), reviewed a monthly real-estate transfer tax update, and heard a detailed presentation from Karen, chair of the Town of New Paltz CPF committee, on how other localities handle appraisal costs, stewardship set-asides and outreach to landowners.

Board members were presented with the most recent monthly figures for the city's real-estate transfer tax receipts and a change in the taxable threshold. Staff said the board will now assess the transfer tax on sale prices above $425,000; the report covered roughly $17.6 million in sales for the reporting period, 51 property transfers of which 12 were subject to the tax, and a transfer-tax take for the month in the range of $27,000 (records in the meeting materials gave $27,009.51). The board also discussed how that revenue will be split for management and stewardship uses under the CPF guidelines.

The bulk of the meeting centered on refining the draft CPF intake application the advisory board will…