Seeking Signatures For Belmont's Preservation Act

With three and a-half weeks to go, Paul Solomon is confident the Belmont Community Preservation Act Committee can reach its goal of getting the necessary signatures to put their proposal of setting aside town funds for open and recreation space on the town's November ballot.

"We are well on our way to getting the necessary 816 people (five percent of registered Belmont voters) to support putting the question on the ballot," Solomon said on Monday. "So far, we've handed in 455 to the Town Clerk's office to certify and know there are more we will be turning in soon."

The committee, which filed a statement of organization on June 18, set the goal of obtaining between 1,000 and 1,200 residents to sign the petition.

If the committee succeeds, voters will be asked on Nov. 2 if they want Belmont to adopt the Community Preservation Act (CPA) which provides funds for open space, historic preservation, and community or affordable housing.

As he speaks to people about signing the petition, Solomon, a former member of the Board of Selectmen, said he has received quite a bit of feedback from residents to adopting the CPA in Belmont.

"I've had a spectrum of responses," he said. "Some people are concerned about a tax increase and others think it's a great idea to spend money on open space, affordable housing and recreational facilities."

The topic that is discussed the most, Solomon said, is the possibility of restorative work at the Underwood Pool, the outdoor facility on Common Street that is the oldest municipal pool in the country.

If the voters decide to adopt the CPA, Belmont would be allowed to raise real estate taxes by 3 percent to fund the measure. But the committee is asking for a 1.5 percent increase. 

According to the Belmont Community Preservation Act Committee's citizen petition, there would be exemptions for the added 1.5 percent tax increase: property owned and occupied by people who qualify for low-income or moderate-income senior housing in the town and $100,000 of the value of each taxable parcel of residential real property. A taxpayer receiving a regular property tax abatement or exemption would also receive a pro rata deduction in the surcharge.

Should Belmont adopt the CPA, Town Meeting would then vote to appoint a committee of local people to draw up plans for use of the funds. If residents don't feel the CPA is working as they expected, they can repeal it.

The CPA requires that communities spend, or set aside for future spending, a minimum of 10 percent of annual CPA receipts on each of the following three areas: open space, historic preservation, and community or affordable housing.

The remaining 70 percent of funds may be allocated to any one or a combination of the three main uses, and also public recreational purposes, at the discretion of the community preservation committee and subject to the approval of Town Meeting.