CPA Adoption Update: Sherborn is First to Place CPA on November 2024 Ballot

Town Meeting season has begun in Massachusetts - and while many of the 196 CPA communities will be discussing their upcoming slate of project appropriations, enthusiastic CPA advocates in several towns will be proposing the question of CPA adoption over the next few months. We're excited to report that the town of Sherborn is officially the first community to pass a CPA article at town meeting this year - residents will now have the question of CPA adoption appear as a ballot question during the November 2024 presidential election.

Voters in Sherborn will be deciding whether or not to adopt a 1% 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 $265,000 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.

While Sherborn may be the first community to pass CPA adoption at town meeting this year, it's very likely that we will see several other towns follow suit throughout May and June. The towns of Clarksburg, Colrain, Halifax, Otis, Rutland, Sheffield, Spencer, Swampscott, and Winchester all have CPA warrant articles in place for their town meetings, so 2024 may prove to be another exciting year for CPA adoption efforts. Be sure to keep an eye on our Upcoming CPA Elections page, as we will be providing updates as each new community makes it onto the ballot.