Members of the Southborough Community Preservation Committee spent a large portion of their meeting reviewing draft MOA language governing transfers to the town’s Affordable Housing Trust and how unused funds should be handled.

Committee members flagged three issues as priorities: clear language tying an allocation to the “project” the application describes, a sunset or return mechanism for unused allocations, and a documented disbursement process so transferred funds do not remain inactive in the Trust. “So after if whatever funds are not used after 2 years or whatever, you know, they they would be returned to CPA,” a committee member said during the discussion about sunset timing. The group discussed a range of sunset options and repeatedly returned to two years as a reasonable first-cycle period.

The discussion also addressed past transfers that never were re-requested by recipient organizations. One member described a prior transfer of “200 and something thousand” that remained in the CPC account because the recipient trust never requested the funds after Town Meeting approval. Committee members said that reconciling those historical transfers will affect how much should be held back in current allocations while the MOA is finalized.

Committee members asked that town staff (referred to in the meeting as Jay and others) clean up the draft MOA language to clarify what constitutes a “project” for the allocation, to add a sunset provision, and to spell out the mechanics of the transfer after Town Meeting. Staff were also asked to consult with Town Counsel and the accounting department to ensure the transfer forms and timing match the town’s procedures. One member said the accounting department will require signatures and forms for transfers and that the MOA should reflect that process.

The committee set a tentative follow-up meeting for a Wednesday (discussed as March 5 in the meeting) and agreed to circulate a revised MOA in advance. The Affordable Housing Trust portion of the meeting adjourned by voice vote and roll-call: Kristen (yes), Grant (yes), Allen (yes), Brett (yes), Lisa (yes).