Pittsfield and Springfield Move Forward on the Question of CPA Adoption
July 13, 2016: As Election Day approaches, the cities of Springfield and Pittsfield are both making progress towards placing the question of CPA adoption on the November ballot.
After Springfield City Council President Michael Fenton announced in May that he would be creating an advisory committee to consider including the Community Preservation Act as a ballot measure, the committee announced on Tuesday that they would be recommending a 1.5% surcharge with exemptions for low-income homeowners and low-income & moderate-income senior homeowners, as well as exemptions for the first $100,000 of residential and commercial property value. The city estimates that the cost to the average homeowner would be approximately $10 annually.
Now that the advisory committee has made their recommendation, Springfield City Council must still vote to decide if it the question of CPA adoption will ultimately be placed on the ballot. In the meantime, the advisory members plan to visit neighborhood and civic organizations to educate and inform Springfield citizens on what CPA could accomplish in city.
While a lot of CPA activity is focused on the Eastern side of the state this year, Pittsfield is representing the Western region by weighing in on the question of adoption as well. A grassroots campaign made up of Pittsfield citizens has made a proposal to their City Council in favor of adopting CPA. The proposal being considered calls for a 1% surcharge and exemptions for low-income homeowners and low-income & moderate-income senior homeowners, as well as the exemptions for the first $100,000 of residential and commercial property value.
The Pittsfield City Council referred the proposal to a subcommittee, and City Council is expected to take an official vote on August 9th.
With seven other communities scheduled to vote on CPA this fall, initiatives like Pittsfield's grassroots efforts and Springfield's City Council interest make it clear that we are likely to see even more communities vote on CPA adoption in November.