NORTHFIELD — An increase of funding for Community Preservation Act projects is the only Northfield-specific question on the ballot for the Nov. 6 election.
Town funding for Community Preservation Act projects comes from a surcharge on property taxes. Since 2009, the surcharge has been .5 percent of the property tax calculated after an exemption of $100,000. Question 4 asks to change that to 1 percent.
For example, if a house has an assessed value of $225,000, the tax rate of 1.786 percent applies to $125,000 (the assessed value minus the $100,000 exemption), then the CPA surcharge rate of .5 percent is applied for a charge of $11.16. Question 4 is to change that to 1 percent, which in this case would bring the final charge to $22.32.
“I think people are more open to that now,” said Lara Dubin, chair of the Community Preservation Committee. The committee’s membership increased last year, and public interest is up, she said.
Since Northfield adopted the Community Preservation Act in 2008, CPA money has been used to restore several Northfield landmarks, including the Town Hall front steps, the town clock and Belcher Fountain.
In 2018, Town Meeting approved $55,950 of CPA money to clean up the wires outside Town Hall, to replace Northfield Elementary School’s old playground and to buy a plaque for the little building next to Town Hall, which is now used by the Boy Scouts, to commemorate it as Northfield’s first fire station.
Funding also comes from the state, which typically matches about 20 percent of the town’s contribution, Dubin said. Since 2009, when the surcharge was reduced to .5 percent from the original 3 percent, the town has contributed $249,605 to CPA projects and the state has contributed $139,182.
In addition to preserving historic landmarks, CPA money can also be used for purchasing or restoring natural resources, archaeological sites and non-commercial recreation facilities (as in the case of the school playground).
Legally, the Community Preservation Committee must spend at least 10 percent of its annual budget on each of the following: senior housing projects, historic projects and recreation projects. The remaining 70 percent may be spent on any other qualifying project. Any money not spent rolls over to the next year’s budget.
Contact Max Marcus at mmarcus@recorder.com or 413-772-0261.