CPA Adoption Update: Framingham Study Committee Recommends CPA for November
Earlier this year, dozens of communities across the state were buzzing with interest in CPA adoption - unfortunately, the ongoing pandemic has put a halt to many of these burgeoning campaigns. However, advocates in a few communities are still going strong. In the city of Framingham, an appointed study committee has just recommended to their city council to place CPA adoption on the November ballot.
The city of Framingham tried to adopt CPA once before in 2001, which was unsuccessful. But over the last year, several local advocacy groups have been pushing for another chance at the ballot. Because of this, the city council appointed a 12-member study committee in late 2019 to analyze the benefits and economic impact that adopting the CPA program would have for the community. Earlier this month, the committee presented their extensive report to the city council, ultimately recommending that they place a CPA ballot question on the November 2020 ballot for Framingham voters to consider.
According to the study committee's report, they are recommending that the city pursue a 1% CPA surcharge with exemptions for low-income and low/moderate-income senior homeowners, as well as exemptions for the first $100,000 of both residential and commercial property value. The study group has also calculated that adopting CPA would raise approximately $1.5 million in local CPA revenues annually for open space, recreation, historic preservation, and affordable housing projects. This would also make the city eligible to receive annual distributions of funds from the statewide Community Preservation Trust Fund, monies that are available only to communities that have adopted the Act.
The study committee's report comes to the conclusion that "Framingham should adopt the CPA as soon as possible," citing how the program will allow the city to fund quality-of-life projects that often fall by the wayside due to municipal budget constraints:
"Framingham’s residents hope that all that is good and treasured in our neighborhoods, downtown, and villages will not change. However, Framingham, as it always has, is changing as development and redevelopment pressures are accelerating... Adopting the Community Preservation Act now can provide Framingham with a new source of funding to address these issues in a timely manner."
It remains to be seen just how many adoption campaigns will be successful in placing CPA on their November ballots this year - as of now, the city of Greenfield is the only community voting on adoption in the fall. But after such a strong recommendation to their city council, it's possible that voters in Framingham may be considering CPA this year as well.