ALBANY – State Senator Jen Metzger’s (D, Rosendale) bill (S7867) to extend the Town of Warwick’s Community Preservation Fund through 2050 has passed in the Senate.
The town first established a Community Preservation Fund in 2005 and has seen great success using it to preserve farmland, open space, and historic sites. Extending the fund through 2050 allows Warwick to take a longer view in preservation efforts and expand farmland and open space protection.
In order to set up such a fund, local governments must first obtain the approval of voters through a public referendum to approve a modest real estate transfer tax, a tool to help protect resources important to the community, finance conservation, and better manage development.
“This legislation is about giving the Town of Warwick the tools to safeguard its unique natural, historic, agricultural, and scenic resources for the benefit of current and future generations,” said Metzger. “Having worked at the local level to protect open space and support our local farms, I am pleased to partner with Assemblymember (Karl) Brabenec to extend the Community Preservation Fund for Warwick and recognize the need to protect our irreplaceable Hudson Valley resources.”
Warwick Town Supervisor Michael Sweeton this is “the first step in giving our residents a local vote to extend the program in place that has preserved over 4,200 acres of working farms as well as critical environmental areas.”
