Community Preservation Committee

About the Community Preservation Committee and the Community Preservation Act

The Community Preservation Act (CPA, MGL 44B) was signed on September 14, 2000. The Westport 2001 Annual Town Meeting adopted the Community Preservation Act and voters approved it at the 2002 town elections. The CPA allows a town to adopt a property tax surcharge. Westport approved a 2% surcharge on real estate taxes which began on July 1, 2002. The state has matched these funds 100% over the past five years for a total of $1,555,443.

A minimum of 10% of the annual revenues of the fund must be used for each of the three core community concerns: historic preservation, open space and affordable housing. The remaining 70% can be allocated for any combination of the allowed uses, or for land for recreational use. This gives each community the opportunity to determine its priorities, plan for its future, and have the funds to make those plans happen.

CPC consists of nine members appointed by the Board of Selectmen representing the Conservation Commission, Historical Commission, the Planning Board, Recreation Commission, the Housing Authority and the Finance Committee and three at-large members.

For more detailed information, please see the report of the Community Preservation Committee in the Westport Annual Town Reports. Information on CPA may be found at: http://www.communitypreservation.org/index.cfm.

Information on other participating communities see http://www.communitypreservation.org/CPAVotes.cfm.

Information on Municipal Affordable Housing Trusts can be found here: http://www. mhp.net/community_initiatives/resources.php?page_function=list&resource_category_id=74

Meetings:

Monthly, at Town Hall Board of Selectmen’s Office generally on the second Thursday at 7 pm.

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Committed as of November 15, 2008

• Len Santos Farm/WYAA $500,000
• Forge Pond $240,000
• Wood Farm $260,000
• Gonet Farm $200,000
• Estuaries Project (OS/HP) $120,000 (2 yrs)
• Waterway Restoration (OS/HP) $ 95,000 (3 yrs)
• Dunham Brook Conservation Area $250,000 (- $140,000 state grant)
• Open Space Reserves $179,050

• Town Hall Restoration $160,000
• Wolf Pit School $ 57,590
• Town Farm $ 28,750
• Friends Meeting House $ 22,500
• Bell School $ 19,775
• Town Records $ 10,000
• Town Historic Signs $ 9,156
• Westport Point Church $ 9,000
• Town Farm Research $ 8,050
• Historic Cemetery Restoration $ 6,023
• Hicks/Handy Records $ 3,075
• Town Historic Maps $ 2,500
• Town Historic Makers $ 1,308
• Town Corner Signs $ 1,200
• Waite-Potter Chimney Preservation $16,118
• Preservation of Windows in Historic Handy House $6,930
• Preservation of Historic Sanford Road School #15, $42,000
• Restoration of Town Hall Annex, $34,000
• Preservation of Stone Sea Walls and Clean-up of Contaminated Soil at Historic Head of Westport $32,000 (2 years)
• Automatic Door Openers ADA for Historic Council on Aging Building
• Restoration of Historic LIfesaving Station $70,000
• Historic Photo Collection Preservation $2,000
• Historic Preservation Oscar Palmer Farm $200,000
• Historic Preservation Reserves $ 5,844

Community Housing

• Perry property $750,000 (2 yrs)
• Community Housing $ 55,000
• Planning Board/New Housing $5,000
• Community Housing New Site Project $42,000
• Oscar Palmer Farm Affordability Restriction $200,000
• Community Housing Reserves $80,000

State Match Total receipts from state represented 100% state match of 2 % surcharge on local real estate tax bills for fiscal years 2003-2007. For fiscal year 2008 it is 67.5%:

• $285,139 (October, 2003)
• $296,150 (October, 2004)
• $310,535 (October, 2005)
• $324,421 (October, 2006)
• $339,198 (October, 2007)
• $242,421 (October, 2008)

$1,797,864 Total monies received from the state to date through CPA.