The Community Preservation Act

The Community Preservation Act is statewide enabling legislation to allow cities and towns to exercise control over local planning decisions. This legislation strengthens and empowers Massachusetts communities:
All decisions are local.
Local people must vote by ballot to adopt the Act.
Local legislatures must appoint a committee of local people to draw up plans for use of the funds.
These plans are subject to local comment and approval.
If residents don’t feel the CPA is working as they expected, they can repeal it.
The Community Preservation Act provides new funding sources which can be used to address three core community concerns:
Acquisition and preservation of open space
Creation and support of affordable housing
Acquisition and preservation of historic buildings and landscapes
A minimum of 10% of the annual revenues of the fund must be used for each of the three core community concerns. The remaining 70% can be allocated for any combination of the allowed uses, or for land for recreational use. This gives each community the opportunity to determine its priorities, plan for its future, and have the funds to make those plans happen.Property taxes traditionally fund the day-to-day operating needs of safety, health, schools, roads, maintenance. - and more. But until the CPA, there was no steady funding source for preserving and improving a community’s infrastructure. The Community Preservation Act can give a community the funds needed to control its future.
I heard a discussion at the Senior Building meeting that they would like to be sure that our Historical Society to be involved in developing a plan for the decorating and furnish memobelia and funding for the New Senior Communit Center "A WAY OUT SUGGESTION??" Any consiedation for opening dialog on this act. Failed Election
1/6/01 3129-5531 Howard McGowan