MAYOR OUTLINES NEXT STEPS ON ADOPTION OF COMMUNITY PRESERVATION ACT
With 75 Percent Voter Approval on Nov. 6th, Somerville to Establish Local Ordinance, Create Local Committee with Power to Recommend Projects for Funding by Added Annual Revenues of $1.5 Million; Alderman Must Approve All CPA Spending for Historic Preserva
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“As for establishing a local Community Preservation Committee, the state says we need between five and nine members,” Curtatone said. “My plan is to create a nine-member committee that includes all of the members mandated by state statute, including one member each from the Conservation Commission, the Historic Preservation Commission, the City’s Planning Board and the Somerville Housing Authority.”
“As for the types of projects that will be funded with CPA revenue, it’s important to remember that the new committee will take the lead in analyzing options and setting priorities,” Curtatone said. “Their recommendations will go to the Board of Aldermen for further review and it would be premature to start discussing specifics now.”
The Community Preservation Act Enabling Statute (Mass. General Laws Ch. 44B) specifies that a participating community must spend “not less than 10 per cent of the annual revenues in the Community Preservation Fund for open space, not less than 10 per cent of the annual revenues for historic resources and not less than 10 per cent of the annual revenues for community housing. In each fiscal year, the legislative body shall make appropriations from the Community Preservation Fund as it deems necessary for the administrative and operating expenses of the community preservation committee and such appropriations shall not exceed 5 per cent of the annual revenues in the Community Preservation Fund.”
The measure approved by
“I think the voters understood that the Community Preservation Act would give us the ability to make some major public investments at a modest cost,” said Curtatone. “Our challenge now is to make the most of this new revenue source in a transparent and inclusive way that maximizes value to the community as a whole. Given the number of historic structures and recreational facilities in this community, and the affordable housing goals we’ve laid out within the SomerVision comprehensive plan, we’ll have lots of eligible options.”
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