Comumunity Preservation Act Position

The Plymouth Area League of Women Voters supports the Community Preservation Act.

The Community Preservation Committee enacts the regulations of the Community Preservation Act (MGL Chapter 44B), which allows communities in Massachusetts to place a surcharge of up to 3% on property taxes. The Act mandates that a committee be formed to oversee these funds and create an application procedure to determine which applications for funding will be brought to Town Meeting for approval. A minimum of 10% of the funds must be allocated to affordable housing, 10% to historic preservation and 10% to land conservation. An additional 5% can be set aside each year for administrative costs. The remaining 65% may be allocated to one or more of the three general purposes in accordance with local priorities.

All of our communities have adopted the CPA: Duxbury 2001, Plymouth 2002, Marshfield 2002, Bourne 2005, Kingston on 2005, Carver 2006 and Plympton 2008.