CPA Adoption Update: Shelburne Votes to Place CPA on November Ballot

Shelburne Places CPA on November Ballot2022 is proving to be a busy year for CPA adoption efforts - after a town meeting vote over the weekend, the town of Shelburne has now placed CPA adoption on the November ballot. Local advocates have been working since last summer to promote the program, holding several public forums throughout the year to educate residents on how the CPA program works, as well as gathering feedback on their town meeting proposal. Now Shelburne will join five other municipalities on the state election ballot later this year.

Voters in Shelburne will now decide whether or not to adopt a 3% CPA surcharge for their community with exemptions for the first $100,000 of residential property, the first $100,000 of commercial property, and for low income and low & moderate income senior homeowners. Should the town adopt CPA, they are expected to raise approximately $85,000 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.

With the addition of Shelburne, there are now a total of five towns and one city that will be weighing in on CPA adoption in the fall. Considering that we have already seen two towns adopt the CPA program at the ballot during the spring election season, it's clear that communities across the state continue to recognize what a powerful investment the Community Preservation Act can be for protecting important local resources.