Politics & Government
Campaign To Pass Community Preservation Act In Worcester Underway
You'll be hearing from the Yes for A Better Worcester campaign with a CPA ballot measure in front of voters in November.
WORCESTER, MA — Worcester is the biggest community in Massachusetts that has not adopted the Community Preservation Act. Cities like Boston, Springfield, Pittsfield, Newton and Framingham have all adopted the CPA, which creates a local fund to pay for things like affordable housing and historic preservation.
But Worcester may not be the odd city out for much longer.
In November, Worcester voters will be asked to adopt the CPA. On Wednesday, the Yes for A Better Worcester campaign officially got underway, which means campaign volunteers will be out over the next month urging residents to vote yes for CPA.
Adopting the CPA will give Worcester a new revenue source to pay for perennially-underfunded items like buying open space and refurbishing or building affordable housing.
The CPA does come at a cost. The new revenue stream will come from a 1-1/2 percent surcharge on property tax bills. The word "surcharge" is key, because the revenue is calculated based on the value of your property — it's not a tax. The Yes campaign has set up a handy calculator where you can see how much CPA could cost you.
The average value of a single family home in Worcester was just under $300,000 as of last November. The CPA surcharge on a home of that value would be about $45 per year.
Adopting the CPA will also allow Worcester to tap into a big pot of state money each year. Some communities have seen years when the state matched 100 percent of the local CPA revenue, but the amount fluctuates each year. In 2021, it was about 43 percent.
There's a wide range of projects CPA funds can be used for. In Hubbardston last year, the town used CPA revenue to buy materials for a Habitat for Humanity home, and to preserve 149 acres of open space. Northborough set aside funds to build six pickleball courts. West Boylston was planning Americans with Disability Act upgrades at Pride Park.
Revenue from the CPA surcharge is also stable — and untouchable. If Worcester adopts the CPA, a special committee will be formed to watch over the money and decide how it gets spent. The money will not be available to plug holes in the larger city budget.
So far, 189 cities and towns in Massachusetts have adopted the CPA — and none have rescinded it. For a detailed analysis of what the CPA would look like in Worcester, check out a recent report by the Worcester Regional Research Bureau.
