Duxbury’s ballot includes two proposals. The first, promoted by the town’s Community Preservation Committee, which oversees the local program, would save the average homeowner $42 annually by excluding the first $100,000 of property value from the surtax. The second, the result of a citizens petition that narrowly passed Town Meeting, would drop the surcharge to 1 percent.
If both questions pass, the owner of a property with the town’s average assessment would save about $140.
Those opposing the proposed surtax reduction say it would gut a program that has restored historic buildings and preserved open space, but promoters of the lower rate say taxpayers need a break.
“No one is at war with the CPA,” said Duxbury resident James Sullivan. “We’re just saying, ‘Let’s take a sabbatical.’ ”
In Kingston, Community Preservation Committee chairman Craig Dalton said reducing the local surcharge to 1 percent would save the average property owner just $66, “about a tank of gas.”
“It would be a shame to reduce it,” Dalton said. “A number of the large projects we’ve done couldn’t have been done at 1 percent.”
Kingston’s Finance Committee chairwoman, Elaine Fiore, said her panel backs the reduction. “We’ve gotten a lot of comments from taxpayers saying something’s got to give,” Fiore said. “This is an opportunity to lower taxes.”
Christine Legere can be reached at christinelegere@yahoo.com.
