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LCHIP requests continued $5.5 million appropriation; surcharges fund grants for landscape and historic preservation
Summary
The Land and Community Heritage Investment Program told the Senate Finance Committee it wants to maintain a $5.5 million biennial appropriation funded by a document recording surcharge to continue statewide conservation and historic preservation grants.
Paula Belmore, executive director of the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP), told the Senate Finance Committee the program’s grantmaking relies on a recording‑document surcharge adopted in 2008 and that LCHIP is requesting a continued appropriation of $5.5 million for the biennium to support conservation and historic preservation projects across New Hampshire.
Belmore said the surcharge — collected at registries of deeds — typically generates roughly $4 million a year and is unrelated to real‑estate value, depending instead on transaction volume. She explained that a $5.5 million appropriation accommodates fluctuations in transactions and grant cycles that can span multiple years; LCHIP’s expenditures over the past four years averaged about $5.15 million annually.
Why it matters: LCHIP funds private–public partnerships that preserve important lands and historic resources statewide; sustained funding supports multi‑year grant cycles and predictable funding for grantees.
Details
- Revenue source: LCHIP’s funding comes primarily from a surcharge on recorded documents at registries of deeds; funding fluctuates with transaction volume.
- Budget request: The program requested and the House adopted maintaining a $5.5 million appropriation to stabilize grantmaking and avoid repeated requests to lapse funds.
- Program reach: Belmore said LCHIP has supported projects across the state since 2002 and that the adjusted appropriation addresses variability in grant cycles (which can last up to five years).
Quote from the record
- “That surcharge generates roughly $4,000,000 a year,” Belmore said.
Next steps
Belmore asked the committee to consider maintaining the appropriation level so LCHIP can continue multi‑year grant cycles without frequent lapses or requests for additional spending authority.
