301 CMR 5.06 - Project Costs

(1) Each grant program provides reimbursement of up to 90% of eligible project costs towards the acquisition of land for active outdoor recreation or conservation and passive outdoor recreation purposes, planning design, access, or stewardship projects on conservation land, or the construction, restoration or rehabilitation of facilities for park and active outdoor recreation purposes. The maximum reimbursement percentage allowed for an approved project will be based on the municipality's equalized valuation per capita decile rank among all Massachusetts municipalities as determined by the Secretary of Administration and Finance. A municipality's rank, and therefore its percentage of reimbursement potential, may change annually based on its increase or decrease in property valuation and population growth. The Secretary may reduce the maximum reimbursement percentage to allow for a more equitable distribution of limited funds among all municipalities. The annual reimbursement schedules are available from the Division.

(2) Subject to the approval of the Secretary, all reasonable costs associated with acquisition projects shall be eligible for reimbursement, as long as they are incurred within the contract period. Costs for title searches, recording fees, boundary surveys, baseline documentation reports, management plans, planning, design, and stewardship projects and other approved project costs from the project proposal, as well as the actual approved purchase price, are deemed to be eligible acquisition, planning, design, access, and stewardship project costs. In addition, for PARC Projects, the actual approved purchase price, recording fees, boundary surveys, engineering, design, construction, and construction supervision are deemed eligible project costs; however, the Secretary shall retain the right to set a fixed limit on the reimbursement of Project costs. Additional information on reimbursement procedures is available from the Division upon request.

(3) As required by M.G.L. c. 132A, §11, reimbursement under the LAND Program will occur only after the participant has expended an amount equal to the total cost of the project and not until the project has been completed to the satisfaction of the Secretary. Billing procedures and forms are available from the Division.

(4) Federal funding sources such as Community Development Block Grants or Revenue Sharing that are defined by the federal government to be local money may be used to match program funds. Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds are also considered local money and may be used to match program funds. Program reimbursements for PARC projects may be paid periodically upon request for payments made by a municipality. Billing procedures and forms are available from the Division.

(5) The Division encourages charitable contributions for conservation purposes either in cash or real property. While real property contributions are not reimbursable, cash contributions may be utilized as the municipality's share of the project providing said cash contribution is deposited into a separate municipal account such as authorized under M.G.L. c. 40, § 5, CI. 51 and is expended therefrom as part of the municipal appropriation for the acquisition or development.

(6) Project reimbursements are to be based on the receipt of invoices and canceled municipal checks and compliance with current reimbursement requirements of the Division. Municipal staff time and non-cash donations are not eligible for reimbursement.

Notes

301 CMR 5.06

Amended by Mass Register Issue 1325, eff. 11/4/2016.