CPA Adoption Update: Swampscott Becomes 7th Town to Place CPA on 2024 Ballot

Over the last several weeks, multiple communities have passed CPA measures at their respective spring town meetings - and now Swampscott is the latest to advance CPA adoption to the ballot. The CPA effort in Swampscott had strong support from the Selectboard, and residents had the opportunity to learn more about the benefits of the program at public educational meetings. This ultimately led to town meeting approving the CPA article by a clear majority, and residents will now be voting on CPA during the November 2024 election.

Voters in Swampscott will now be deciding whether or not to adopt a 1.5% 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 over $700,000 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.

Swampscott is the seventh community to advance CPA to the ballot this year, following the towns of Sherborn, Spencer, Winchester, Sheffield, Rutland, and Halifax. With only a few town meetings left with CPA proposals on the warrant, it's already clear that there's still plenty of excitement around the CPA program. Be sure to visit our Upcoming CPA Elections page as we continue to provide updates on this year's CPA election season.