About the CPA

What is it?

The Community Preservation Act (MGL 44B) enables Massachusetts communities who adopt it to create a local, dedicated fund for open space, outdoor recreation facilities, affordable housing, and historic preservation.

The state provides additional funds to CPA communities through distributions from the Community Preservation Trust Fund. In total, over $3 Billion has been raised via CPA since 2000, and 196 MA communities have adopted CPA with over 70% of the state population residing in CPA communities.

How is the money raised?

If adopted, the local revenue for CPA would be raised with a 1% surcharge on real estate tax bills each year. For the purpose of calculating the CPA surcharge, however, the first $100,000 of assessed real estate value is exempt. Below see what the CPA surcharge would have been for the average Sherborn household in each of the past three fiscal years (total for the year):

  • FY2022 – $144

  • FY2023 – $160

  • FY2024 – $170

Additionally, the state has established a Community Preservation Trust Fund to match the local revenue from the surcharge. More information regarding the CPA Trust Fund can be found here.

In total, we anticipate that CPA would raise about $300,000 each year for Sherborn between the local revenue and the state matching funds.

How can CPA funds be spent?

There are three major categories that the CPA funds can be used on:

  • Open Space/Recreation

  • Historical Preservation

  • Affordable Housing

At least 10% of the CPA funds are required to be spent on each of those categories, and the remaining 70% can be spent on any of those categories.

Who decides how to spend it?

We all do! Each project that is proposed to use CPA money must go through Town Meeting. This includes all the normal vetting process for each Town Meeting Warrant Article, including discussion before the Select Board, at an Advisory Committee Public Hearing with subsequent analysis and recommendation in the Advisory Report, and ultimately to a deciding vote by residents at Town Meeting.

The decision of which project(s) to sponsor on the Town Meeting Warrant is made by a local Community Preservation Committee (CPC), which is required to include at least one member from each of the following town bodies:

  • Recreation Commission

  • Historical Commission

  • Conservation Commission

  • Affordable Housing Trust

  • Planning Board

The CPC is required to hold an annual Public Hearing in order to get input from town residents about how they would like to spend the CPA funds.