CPA Adoption Update: Plainville Puts CPA on the Ballot

June 14, 2018: Earlier this month, residents in the Town of Plainville approved at their annual town meeting to place the question of CPA adoption on their fall ballot. Plainville is now the second community that will be voting on CPA adoption during the November ballot, alongside the town of Berlin.

In Plainville, voters will decide whether or not to adopt a 1% CPA surcharge for their community, with exemptions for the first $100,000 of residential property value, the first $100,000 of commercial property value, and low income and low and moderate income senior homeowners. With a 1% CPA surcharge and the aforementioned exemptions, the town would raise approximately $165,000 in local CPA revenues annually for 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.

The town meeting vote was a culmination of the efforts of several Plainville residents working with their Director of Planning and Development, Chris Yarworth. In February, Yarworth organized a public meeting and invited the Coalition's Associate Director, Alison Leary, to give a presentation on the merits the CPA for the town.

“Public comment is essential," Yarworth said. "It helps the committee make a decision that is based on public needs and interests.” Many of the residents expressed the appeal of the CPA program as a dedicated funding stream. In particular, there was support for purchasing open space and improving recreation areas in the town.