• Home
  • News
  • Obituaries
  • Police & Fire
  • Sports
  • Education
  • Business
  • Real Estate
  • Advertise
  • Town
    • Westborough
    • Shrewsbury
    • Northborough
    • Marlborough
    • Hudson
    • Southborough
    • Grafton
  • Print Edition
Sign in
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Password recovery
Recover your password
Search
Sunday, June 26, 2022
  • Events
    • Ongoing
  • Contact us
Sign in
Welcome! Log into your account
Forgot your password? Get help
Password recovery
Recover your password
A password will be e-mailed to you.
Community Advocate news and events Community Advocate
  • Shrewsbury
  • Westborough
  • Northborough
  • Southborough
  • Grafton
  • Marlborough/Hudson Edition
  • Home
  • News
  • Obituaries
  • Police & Fire
  • Sports
  • Education
  • Business
  • Real Estate
  • Advertise
  • Town
    • Westborough
    • Shrewsbury
    • Northborough
    • Marlborough
    • Hudson
    • Southborough
    • Grafton
  • Print Edition
Gillespie Real Estate Agent
How can the Community Advocate help you promote your business?
Print Ads
Web Ads
Digital Marketing
Home Byline Stories - News Westborough selectmen want to give Community Preservation Act another look
  • Byline Stories - News
  • Westborough

Westborough selectmen want to give Community Preservation Act another look

By
Community Advocate
-
April 29, 2015
38
Facebook
Twitter
Email

    By Keith Regan, Community Reporter

    Westborough—Though voters have said no in the past, the Board of Selectmen think the time may be right for the town to consider adopting the Community Preservation Act (CPA).

    “I think we should have the dialogue now,” Chair George Barrette said at the board’s April 29 meeting. “I think it’s something we should consider presenting to voters. It has been mishandled in the past or the timing wasn’t right.”

    The CPA enables towns to impose a surtax of up to 3 percent on property taxes, with the first $100,000 of valuation exempted from the tax. The state provides partial matching funds to local communities.

    Town Manager Jim Malloy said if the CPA were adopted at a 1 percent rate in Westborough, it would raise about $737,000 annually.

    If the bulk of that money were devoted to paying debt services on the Town Hall renovation and the planned renovation of the Forbes Municipal Building—both historical preservation projects eligible under the CPA—the average taxpayer would save a little over $60 a year compared to traditional debt services raised through property taxes.

    In addition to historical preservation, the CPA would generate dedicated funds for community housing, and open space and recreation. Ten percent of the total collected annually must be set aside for those two uses as well as historical preservation.

    “It not only saves us money now, but it sets us up for the long term,” Barrette said.

    Malloy said he looked at higher surcharges and found they would raise far more than needed to service the debt on the two projects and would not result in any savings for taxpayers.

    “It seems worth a conversation,” he said.

    Selectman Tim Dodd said he was originally a skeptic but has seen the value of the CPA. Several neighboring communities that have the tax include Northborough, and Upton.

    “Clearly there are a lot of benefits to it and there’s a reason why a lot of communities have adopted it,” Dodd said.

    Selectmen noted that there is already strong community support for the renovation of the Forbes Municipal Building, which will enable the town’s police headquarters to be expanded and modernized. Advocates for housing, open space and recreation could also be pulled into a coalition to help promote and pass the law, which requires both a town meeting vote and a ballot vote to be adopted.

    Selectmen want to give Community Preservation Act another look

    By Keith Regan

    Community Reporter

    Westborough—Though voters have said no in the past, the Board of Selectmen think the time may be right for the town to consider adopting the Community Preservation Act (CPA).

    “I think we should have the dialogue now,” Chair George Barrette said at the board’s April 29 meeting. “I think it’s something we should consider presenting to voters. It has been mishandled in the past or the timing wasn’t right.”

    The CPA enables towns to impose a surtax of up to 3 percent on property taxes, with the first $100,000 of valuation exempted from the tax. The state provides partial matching funds to local communities.

    Town Manager Jim Malloy said if the CPA were adopted at a 1 percent rate in Westborough, it would raise about $737,000 annually.

    If the bulk of that money were devoted to paying debt services on the Town Hall renovation and the planned renovation of the Forbes Municipal Building—both historical preservation projects eligible under the CPA—the average taxpayer would save a little over $60 a year compared to traditional debt services raised through property taxes.

    In addition to historical preservation, the CPA would generate dedicated funds for community housing, and open space and recreation. Ten percent of the total collected annually must be set aside for those two uses as well as historical preservation.

    “It not only saves us money now, but it sets us up for the long term,” Barrette said.

    Malloy said he looked at higher surcharges and found they would raise far more than needed to service the debt on the two projects and would not result in any savings for taxpayers.

    “It seems worth a conversation,” he said.

    Selectman Tim Dodd said he was originally a skeptic but has seen the value of the CPA. Several neighboring communities that have the tax include Northborough, and Upton.

    “Clearly there are a lot of benefits to it and there’s a reason why a lot of communities have adopted it,” Dodd said.

    Selectmen noted that there is already strong community support for the renovation of the Forbes Municipal Building, which will enable the town’s police headquarters to be expanded and modernized. Advocates for housing, open space and recreation could also be pulled into a coalition to help promote and pass the law, which requires both a town meeting vote and a ballot vote to be adopted.

    • TAGS
    • George Barrette
    • Jim Malloy
    • Keith Regan
    • Tim Dodd
    • Westborough selectmen want to give Community Preservation Act another look
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Email
      Previous articleFriends set up fundraiser to help man stricken with Lewy Body Dementia
      Next articleVoters agree to pass over motion to establish White Cliffs as historic district
      Community Advocate

      RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

      Featured News

      MidWach League announces 2022 spring all-stars

      Education

      Westborough Youth Travel Basketball awards scholarships

      Westborough town icon
      Government

      Westborough’s plastic bag bylaw changes possibly delayed to mid-July

      Featured News

      Westborough celebrates Nourse Farm’s 300th anniversary

      Featured News

      Westborough girls tennis falls in state finals heartbreaker

      Featured News

      Westborough boys tennis falls to Concord-Carlisle in state finals

      Follow Us

      Sign Up For Our Newsletter


      RECOMMENDED VIDEOS

      Featured News

      MidWach League announces 2022 spring all-stars

      Community Advocate - June 24, 2022
      0
      Featured News

      Shrewsbury plans food truck festival in August

      Laura Hayes - June 24, 2022
      0
      Featured News

      Hudson Legion baseball beats Northborough in early-summer clash

      Dakota Antelman - June 24, 2022
      0
      Featured News

      Northborough celebrates new Be Well initiative 

      Laura Hayes - June 24, 2022
      0

      POPULAR

      MidWach League announces 2022 spring all-stars

      June 24, 2022

      Shrewsbury plans food truck festival in August

      June 24, 2022

      Hudson Legion baseball beats Northborough in early-summer clash

      June 24, 2022

      Northborough celebrates new Be Well initiative 

      June 24, 2022
      The Southborough Police Station is located on Cordaville Road. Photo/Laura Hayes

      Southborough Select Board opts for internal search for new police chief

      June 23, 2022
      community advocate logo
      ABOUT US

      The Community Advocate is an independently owned newspaper with a legacy of over 40 years serving the communities of Westborough, Hudson, Marlborough, Northborough, Shrewsbury, Southborough and Grafton. It is also the number-one circulated paper in those communities. We cover a wide variety of breaking news, municipal issues, human interest features and sports stories.

      For Advertising Inquiries:
      [email protected]

      For editorial inquiries:
      [email protected]

      Contact us: [email protected]
      FOLLOW US
      • Events
        • Ongoing
      • Contact us
      © Community Advocate. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy