CPA Adoption Update: Westborough First on the November 2022 Ballot
It's very likely that we will see quite a few communities aiming to place CPA adoption on the state ballot this year, but we can now confirm that the town of Westborough is the first to cross that threshold. After a lively discussion at their spring town meeting, residents in Westborough succeeded in passing their CPA measure, and will now be voting on adoption during the November 8th state election.
Voters in Westborough will now decide whether or not to adopt a 0.5% 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. With a 0.5% CPA surcharge and the aforementioned exemptions, the town is expected to raise approximately $335,000 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.
Westborough may have been the first to make it onto the November ballot, but they certainly won't be the last. We will continue to update our Upcoming CPA Elections page as town meetings and city councils weigh in on CPA adoption for 2022.