4 more towns back CPA

Advocates sell financial benefit

Proposals to raise property taxes to pay for open space, historic preservation, and affordable housing had a strong showing in the region this year.

The Community Preservation Act, the state law that lets municipalities levy a property tax surcharge of up to 3 percent to fund open space, historic preservation, affordable housing, and recreation projects won approval in all four area towns where it appeared on the ballot this spring: Hanson, Plympton, Stoughton, and West Bridgewater.

"People are willing to pay when they know it's going to do good things for the community," Chris Iannitelli, who served on West Bridgewater's pro-CPA ballot committee, said of the vote in his town. "We've been hearing so long that people want to see the community stay the way it is. And this act helps to preserve the community."

Hanson, Plympton, and Stoughton adopted a 1.5 percent surcharge, and West Bridgewater a 1 percent surcharge. Low-income residents and moderate-income seniors are exempted. Other homeowners get a break: The first $100,000 of a property's value is not included in the levy.

"We were extremely pleased that the town understood what the Community Preservation Act would mean to Hanson," said Bob Sears, who chaired a group that promoted passage of the CPA in his town. "We look forward to being able to address some of the needs and things in town residents would really like to see accomplished."

The CPA program gained ground despite the prospect that communities' locally raised funds will no longer be fully matched by the state.

Until now, the state has given municipalities a 100 percent match from a state fund generated from fees. But due to the growing numbers of CPA communities and a decline in fee revenues, the state projects communities will receive a 65 percent match in an initial funding round next fall for fiscal 2008. Those communities with 3 percent surcharges will then be eligible for additional funds.

Still, the act was approved with 66.8 percent of the vote in Plympton, 65.5 percent in Hanson, and 60.7 percent in Plympton. Only in Stoughton was the outcome close; supporters prevailed with 51.1 percent of the vote.

Al Lipkind, a member of the group that promoted passage of the CPA in Stoughton, said the state match remains a good deal.

"It might be going down but still, where else can you invest $100,000 and get $65,000 back?"

The surcharges will add $37 to the annual bill of an average home valued at $375,000 in Hanson, and $54 to the bill of an average home valued at $406,725 in Plympton. The owner of an average home in West Bridgewater, valued at $352,000, will pay another $28 a year, while in Stoughton, the owner of an average home valued at $350,000 will pay $38.

As of Monday, 133 cities and towns had adopted the act, with the South Shore well represented on the list.

In addition to the four that voted this spring, 21 area communities have adopted the act: Braintree, Bridgewater, Carver, Cohasset, Duxbury, Easton, Hanover, Hingham, Kingston, Marion, Marshfield, Mattapoisett, Norwell, Pembroke, Plymouth, Quincy, Randolph, Scituate, Sharon, Wareham, and Weymouth, according to the Community Preservation Coalition, a group that promotes local adoption of the act.

In Hanson, Plympton, Stoughton, and West Bridgewater, proponents waged active ballot campaigns, holding forums and distributing literature.

"We thought it was extremely important that we educate the community about what the act is all about and what the opportunity meant for the town," said Sears, of Hanson.

Iannitelli, who chairs the town's Open Space Committee and serves as its forestry and parks superintendent, said West Bridgewater has needs in all four of the allowable spending areas.

For example, he said, the town could use the CPA fund to help acquire priority sites identified in the open space plan it is now updating. Funds could also be used to restore some of the town's many historic properties, such as War Memorial Park and local cemeteries; to meet the need for athletic fields; and to help the town meet the state mandate to have 10 percent of its housing affordable.

Sears said Hanson also faces needs in those four areas and stressed that it will be up to residents to determine which are most deserving of money.

"It's extremely important that residents understand that Town Meeting has the final say in any expenditures from the program."

Lipkind, of Stoughton, said the CPA will "pay for items in the town budget that we would have to pay for anyway," including open space purchases, developing affordable housing, restoring old buildings, and developing ball fields.

Rick Burnet, chairman of the committee that promoted the CPA in Plympton, said the proposed casino in Middleborough has awakened many in Plympton to the need for proactive action to preserve the town's natural and historic assets. He said the new CPA fund will help by allowing the town to purchase open space that might otherwise be gobbled up by developers and to expand affordable housing on its own terms.

"People enjoy the town the way it is and want to keep the character of it," he said.

John Laidler can be reached at laidler@globe.com.