Community Preservation Act

March 20, 2008 01:44 pm

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The town clerk's office has released an explanation of the Community Preservation Act, on which Andover residents will at the town election next month.

It says:

The Community Preservation Act, Sections 3 through 7 of General Laws Chapter 44B, allows cities and towns which accept certain of its provisions to create a special Community Preservation Fund by assessing a surcharge on annual real estate taxes and to appropriate monies in that fund for open space, historic resources and community housing purposes. Communities which impose the surcharge will also be eligible to received additional monies from a state fund created by imposing a surcharge on documents recorded at the Registry of Deeds or Land Court.

Pursuant to a Town Bylaw, a Community Preservation Committee will be established to study the needs, possibilities, and resources of the Town regarding community preservation. Communities adopting the Act are required to meet certain minimum appropriation requirements each year. Specifically, upon recommendation of the Community Preservation Committee, Town Meeting must spend or set aside for later spending at least 10 percent of the annual revenues for the following categories of community preservation purpose expenditures:

1) open space (excluding land for recreational uses)

2) historic resources

3) community housing

The Community Preservation Committee shall also make recommendations to the Town Meeting for the acquisition, creation and preservation of open space; for the acquisition, preservation, rehabilitation and restoration of historic resources; for the acquisition, creation and preservation of land for recreational use; for the acquisition, creation, preservation and support of community housing; and for the rehabilitation or restoration of open space, land for recreational use and community housing that is acquired or created as provided in the Act.

Acceptance of the Act requires approval of Town Meeting and the voters at an election. The 2007 Annual Town Meeting voted to accept the Act, voted to approve a surcharge of 1 percent on the annual property tax assessed on real property and also voted to approve exemptions for:

1) property owned and occupied as a domicile by a person who would qualify for low income housing or low or moderate income senior housing in the Town

2) for $100,000 of the value of each taxable parcel of residential real property.

Questions, contact the town clerk's office at 978-623-8259.