Worcester City Council Narrowly Votes Against Effort to Put CPA on the November Ballot
June 27, 2018: Despite passionate debate by advocates and lamentations by city councilors about the impending loss of a culturally significant historic icon, the Worcester City Council narrowly voted against placing the Community Preservation Act on the ballot in November. Most of the councilors in opposition insisted that they supported the CPA program, but felt that the process to get it on the ballot should be done by collecting signatures rather than as an initiative by the City Council.
Worcester is the second largest city in New England, and the largest city in Massachusetts that has not adopted CPA. The effort to put CPA on the ballot was organized by “Yes for a Better Worcester,” which is made up of a broad coalition of grassroots organizations working on park improvements, open space, historic preservation, and community housing. Members include MA Audubon, Preservation Worcester, the Greater Worcester Land Trust, Walk-Bike Worcester and the Environmental League of Massachusetts.
The campaign’s CPA proposal would add a 1.5% surcharge on property taxes, including an exemption for the first $100, 000 of residential and commercial property and for low-income households and low and moderate income seniors. It would raise approximately 3 million dollars for historic preservation, outdoor recreation, open space and community housing, in addition to making the city eligible for matching funds from the statewide CPA Trust Fund.
Prior to the vote, members of Preservation Worcester and Save Notre Dame Alliance spoke about the impending demolition of the Notre Dame des Canadiens Roman Catholic Church and the impact that losing the granite cathedral would have for the City of Worcester. The prominent cathedral stands 194 feet high and has been part of the cultural fabric of Worcester for 89 years. Demolition permits and contracts are currently in place, and the deconstruction of the building has started. With a program like CPA in place, advocates argued that important local landmarks like the cathedral would have the necessary funding to avoid this fate. While several councilors agreed that the loss of the cathedral was indeed a tragedy, the City Council still ultimately decided against placing CPA on the ballot.
There is still a possibility CPA will go before the voters in November if proponents can gather the required signatures from 5% of registered city voters through the initiative petition process. The Worcester CPA advocates will be deciding in the next few weeks on how to proceed.