NORTHAMPTON — The City Council voted to approve nearly $1 million in Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding last week, giving the green light to five ecological restoration, recreation and historic preservation projects.

The Community Preservation Act, signed into law in 2000, allows municipalities to raise money through a property tax surcharge of up to 3% for open space protection, historic preservation and the provision of affordable housing, which is matched by state dollars.

This year, the council approved $939,000 in requested CPA funds, the largest of which are the Conservation Commission and Office of Planning and Sustainability’s $330,111 request to create trails and conduct ecological restoration work at the wildlife corridor in the area formerly known as the Pine Grove Golf Course and Historic Northampton’s $253,660 request to fund renovations to the former home of Nathaniel Parsons.

The council also approved the Office of Planning and Sustainability’s $202,000 request to build a disability-accessible connection that would run between Northern Avenue and the Norwottuck Rail Trail, Forbes Library’s request for $145,385 to install lighting at the library’s Coolidge Museum, as well as the Lilly Library Association’s $7,625 request to replace the stone stairs at the front of the building.

Looking ahead to the fiscal 2028 budget and the likely need for an override, the city is convening an advisory Fiscal Assessment Community Task Force to examine its finances and gain a deeper understanding of the city’s cost drivers and revenue expectations.

The ad hoc task force, according to Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra, will analyze revenues, current city and school expenditures and “economic trends and constraints,” taking into consideration their financial impact on residents.

Comprising nine voting members, as well as the city’s finance director and Northampton Public Schools business manager, who will serve as non-voting members, the task force is expected to review the city’s current five-year Fiscal Stability Plan and future options through detailed budget analysis, financial forecasting and public engagement, according to a statement from Sciarra’s office.

Expected to meet two to three times per month, the task force will hold two or more public forums to garner community feedback and present its findings on how to address the city’s structural deficit to the mayor and City Council.

The mayor encourages those interested in filling one of the five available seats for community members to apply to serve by Wednesday, July 8.

“Community members must be Northampton residents and should ideally bring experience in financial and budgetary analysis, civic and community engagement, or related fields or expertise,” the mayor’s office stated.

The city has acquired and permanently preserved 72 acres in the Mineral Hills Greenway, the Office of Planning and Sustainability announced recently.

The $600,000 purchase, which was made through a combination of $297,330 in Local Acquisitions for Natural Diversity grant funds and local Community Preservation Act funding, will fill a gap in a multi-town open space corridor and connect to an adjacent 300 acres of the Mineral Hills Greenway in Northampton alone.

The parcel, which was purchased from its longtime owner the Crescione family, will be owned and managed by the Conservation Commission, with a conservation restriction held by the non-profit Kestrel Land Trust. It can be accessed through Drury Lane.

“This acquisition will build upon decades of work to protect forested land, wildlife corridors, and habitats citywide, and create quality outdoor recreational opportunities for residents,” the planning office said in a statement. “This parcel includes headwater streams and wetlands that are important sources for water quality and quantity to both Hannum Brook and the Manhan River. Both are recognized as cold-water streams, a critical and threatened resource.”

The city has partnered with Kestrel since 2018 in an effort to help permanently conserve up to 1,000 acres of Northampton’s most ecologically valuable lands.

“The Crescione section of the Mineral Hills Greenway is a wonderful addition to these protected lands,” Kestrel Conservation Director Mark Wamsley said. “It builds upon an important network of forests that support wildlife habitat, water quality, and recreation, and is a fitting stepping stone for continuing our partnership with Northampton to help meet the city’s conservation, climate, and open space access goals in the coming years.”