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Preservation, farms and land trusts back modest increase to Community Investment Act recording fee
Summary
Several groups including Preservation Connecticut, Connecticut Farm Bureau and the Connecticut Land Conservation Council urged the committee to raise the real‑estate recording fee that funds the Community Investment Act (CIA) to boost preservation, farmland protection, dairy support and affordable housing programs.
Nonprofits that preserve historic places, farms and open space told the Government Administration and Elections Committee on Friday that a modest increase in the land‑recording fee that funds the Community Investment Act would restore purchasing power lost to inflation and support projects statewide.
Preservation Connecticut, the Connecticut Farm Bureau, the Connecticut Land Conservation Council and other stakeholders testified in favor of Senate Bill 15-22, which renames the Community Investment Act in honor of the late state senator Donald E. Williams Jr. and raises the recording fee from $40 to $46. Witnesses described how CIA funding is used by multiple state programs: grants for historic‑building restoration, farmland preservation and farmland viability grants, the dairy sustainability fund and open‑space grants.
Preservation Connecticut said CIA-backed “circuit rider” services and grants have supported thousands of site visits, technical assistance and local project planning that in recent years leveraged millions in private and public investment. The Connecticut Farm Bureau emphasized the dairy support fund and noted the higher cost of production for Connecticut farms; its president urged lawmakers to consider a larger increase (proposing a $50 fee) so the dairy fund and other recipients receive a more meaningful boost.
The Connecticut Land Conservation Council said CIA money has helped preserve tens of thousands of acres and supported urban green spaces that benefit recreation and local food production. Witnesses asked lawmakers to make the funding increase meaningful and to preserve the CIA’s role as a reliable, multi‑sector source of flexible state support.
Why it matters: CIA dollars are a cross‑sector funding stream used to keep farmland in production, preserve historic properties, protect open space and help build affordable housing. Advocates said the fee has not been meaningfully increased since the program’s creation and noted that recent real‑estate volume changes have reduced steady receipts.
Next steps: Lawmakers on the Government Administration and Elections Committee will consider the fee increase’s final allocation language and any proposed adjustments to the amounts earmarked for different programs.
Sources and attribution: Testimony from Preservation Connecticut (Jane Montanaro), Connecticut Farm Bureau (Paul Larson and Tracy McDougall), Connecticut Land Conservation Council (Colin Pidio) and others at the public hearing.
