Town of Harvard Votes to Increase CPA Surcharge & Adopt New Exemptions

Harvard CPA Surcharge IncreaseYesterday, voters in the town of Harvard passed a CPA ballot measure during their spring election, increasing their CPA surcharge from 1.1% to 3% and implementing exemptions for the first $100,000 of both residential and commercial property and full exemptions for low-income and low-to-moderate-income senior homeowners.

Local advocates campaigned this spring in order to convince Harvard voters that it was time to invest further in their local CPA program, as well as provide new exemptions for residents that needed it the most. These are the first changes to Harvard's CPA program since the town originally adopted the Community Preservation Act in 2001 with a 1.1% surcharge and no exemptions.

During their spring election on May 9th, Harvard passed the increase with 63% of voters approving of the measure (total vote count: 583 Yes, 349 No). In addition to the boost to their local CPA revenue, Harvard will now also be eligible for the 2nd and 3rd funding rounds of the annual CPA Trust Fund distribution.

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