CPA Adoption Update: Natick & Boylston Place CPA on November Ballot

Town Meetings in both Natick and Boylston have now voted to place the question of CPA adoption on the state election ballot this November. The successful measures in these two towns continues the positive momentum that CPA adoption efforts have seen in the first half of 2022 - earlier in the year, the town of Westborough was the first community to place CPA on the fall ballot, and the City Council in Worcester voted to do the same in April. This news also follows successful CPA adoption votes in the towns of Lakeville and Pepperell during their spring elections, which brought the new total of CPA communities to 189 statewide.

CPA in NatickAdvocates in the town of Natick have been working since last year on studying and crafting a CPA proposal, and representatives from the town's Affordable Housing Trust, Open Space Advisory Committee, and Historical Commission came together to publish an excellent CPA Study Committee Report that enthusiastically recommended that the town adopt the CPA program as soon as possible. Members of this local coalition also created a CPA for Natck website to help educate residents, and following a detailed presentation at town meeting, the CPA measure passed with a resounding vote of 104-16. Natick will now decide whether or not to adopt a 1% CPA surcharge for their community with exemptions for the first $100,000 of residential property and for low income and low & moderate income senior homeowners. With a 1% CPA surcharge and the aforementioned exemptions, the town is expected to raise over $1.1 million in local CPA revenues annually for outdoor recreation, historic preservation, affordable housing, and open space projects. Adopting CPA would also make the town 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. This is the second time that Natick has placed CPA adoption on a local ballot, although the previous attempt took place over 15 years ago.

CPA in BoylstonMeanwhile, a group of advocates in the town of Boylston presented their CPA adoption proposal during their Town Meeting just last night, following several weeks of lead-up that included letters to the editor to spread the word about how CPA could benefit the town. This is the first time that Boylston has ever placed CPA adoption on the ballot, and so voters will now be deciding whether or not to adopt CPA with a 1% surcharge and exemptions for the first $100,000 of residential property, as well as for low-income and low/moderate-income senior homeowners. Should the town adopt CPA, Boylston is projected to raise approximately $120,000 annually for local CPA initiatives, as well as making the town eligible for matching funds from the CPA Trust Fund.

There are still several other cities and towns weighing their options for CPA in 2022, so it's very possible that we will see even more communities join Natick and Boylston to vote on CPA adoption during the state election in November. And considering the Department of Revenue's recent projection for a 35% distribution from the CPA Trust Fund this year, it underlines the healthy state of the program and shows why municipalities from all corners of the Commonwealth are feeling increasingly optimistic about the benefits that CPA could have for their residents.