Springfield council approves FY26 CPA budget and $3.1 million in project recommendations; one contested award fails

The Springfield City Council on Monday approved the Community Preservation Act (CPA) FY26 budget estimates and the Community Preservation Committee’s recommendations for a slate of neighborhood and historic preservation grants, while rejecting a separate $300,000 allocation for the Kavanaugh Building reuse project.

The council accepted the CPA’s FY26 revenue projection of $3,171,000 — composed of a $2,510,000 local levy estimate, about $262,000 in account interest and a projected $399,000 state distribution — and moved the statutorily required 10% set-asides to housing, historic preservation and open-space/recreation reserves. The committee reported administrative costs at about $122,700 and left roughly $2,097,000 in undesignated reserves for future recommendations.

Why this matters: CPA funds support small-to-mid-size neighborhood-driven capital projects, preservation of historic buildings, and affordable housing tools that often do not match other grant programs. This year’s recommendations touch multiple neighborhoods and include…