History
The Community Preservation Act was adopted by the state legislature in 2000. It was not until 2002 that the Town of Brookline first considered adopting the CPA. A number of community activists saw the CPA as a fiscally responsible way to address important Town needs and made a proposal for adopting the CPA to Town Meeting. In the face of opposition from the Board of Selectmen, Town Meeting rejected the proposal in May 2002 by a 2 to 1 vote.
If Town Meeting and the voters had adopted the CPA in 2002 at the maximum surcharge level without exemptions, the Town would have received approximately $13 million in state matching funds as of October 2006. (In contrast to Brookline, the City of Cambridge adopted the CPA in 2001 and will have received approximately $27 million in state matching funds as of October 2006.)
In the spring of 2005, a large and diverse group of citizens actively involved in Town government and the schools began to meet because they were concerned about the Town government’s failure to even evaluate the CPA and whether or not it made sense for Brookline. The citizen input and process for developing the Town’s Comprehensive Plan had made clear by that point that among the Town’s top priorities were increasing the supply of affordable housing in a way that is sensitive to neighborhood concerns; protecting open space at risk of development; creating new athletic fields and other passive and active recreational facilities; creating inviting commercial areas; and investing in the Town’s historic resources. Despite the identification of these community preservation needs as top priorities of the Town, the Town had not significantly invested in these needs. Of particular concern to many involved in Town government, the Town had missed an opportunity over the last few years to generate millions of dollars of state funds that could have been used to address these needs by not adopting the CPA.
The group of citizens filed a warrant article to request that Town Meeting establish a committee of knowledgeable town officials and citizens to evaluate the CPA and whether or not it would make sense for Brookline. Preempting Town Meeting, the Board of Selectmen voted to appoint such a committee in the fall of 2005. The Committee was officially established in the beginning of 2006 and met frequently through May 2006. After a great deal of research and deliberation, the CPA Study Committee issued a lengthy and thorough report recommending that Town Meeting adopt the CPA in the form described here. [Read the full text of the Report of the Community Preservation Act Study Committee]
Town Meeting adopted the CPA in accordance with the CPA Study Committee’s recommendation on May 24, 2006 by a vote of 128-101. As a result, the question of adopting the CPA as recommended by the CPA Study Committee will be before the voters as Question 4 on the ballot at the November 7th election. If a majority of voters vote yes on Question 4, the CPA will take effect in Brookline.