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If voters remember to do only one thing on Election Day, Community Preservation Act organizers hope it will be to flip over the ballot.
The CPA question is number 6 on the ballot. It comes after five statewide questions about auditing the Legislature, MCAS, Uber drivers, tipped wages and psychedelic mushrooms. And Jen Ryan and David Miller, co-chairs of the Yes on 6 campaign are worried that it will get lost in the shuffle.
“It’s a big election … make sure you look at all the questions,” said Ryan.
Question 6 would add a 1.5% surcharge to property tax bills. The funds can be used solely to preserve open space and historic sites, create affordable housing and develop outdoor recreational facilities.
Town Meeting approved both a CPA ballot question and a bylaw in May 132 to 21, Ryan said. But the question still needs to pass muster with voters before the bylaw can be enacted.
Ryan and Miller both said they are feeling optimistic about their chances. They’ve faced no real opposition during their “tabling events” mostly just people seeking clarification, Miller said.
Let’s be clear
One clarification that’s been made numerous times: “Is this a property tax? No, it’s a surcharge on your property tax,” Miller said.
According to the group’s literature, the surcharge equals about $200 per household per year and comes with a state match. It is estimated to raise $1.9 million in the first year, but Ryan noted there are exemptions available for people that might not be able to afford it.
Once that is made clear, people want to know how the ultimate decisions on where to spend the money are made, Miller said.
The process of spending the money comes down to two things, Ryan said, local projects and local decisions. If the question passes at the ballot box, a survey will go out asking residents for their priorities when it comes to projects. After that a request for proposals will go out.
The Community Preservation Committee, made up of local volunteers, will make recommendations, but ultimately Town Meeting members will decide which projects to fund.
“So the entire process is sort of contained within Winchester, which for the people of Winchester is very important,” Miller said.
Who thinks this is a good idea?
“We have a great list of supporting and endorsing organizations,” Ryan said.
The list includes what Miller called a broad swath of town committees and boards: Select Board, Conservation Commission, School Committee, Planning Board, Capital Planning Committee, the state delegation and a number of private groups like the Winchester Historical Society, Friends of Wedge Pond, Friends of Winter Pond and the Network for Social Justice — to name a few.
“We’ve got a very nice grouping of meaningful endorsements, who I think themselves have significant memberships, who will also be part of the support of this whole thing,” Miller said. “We don’t want to jinx anything, but we’re feeling optimistic.”
There are also 196 communities across the state that have already adopted the act and 11 more have it on the ballot this November, Ryan noted.
Why adopt it at all?
Ryan said she believes the best thing about the CPA is that it’s a powerful community engagement tool.
“Once it passes, once a community adopts it, there’s a survey usually of town residents of what the priorities are,” she said. “It’s a great way for community groups to come together and to offer up proposals for small projects that can be hard to get funding for, as well as help the town move larger capital needs forward.”
As a member of the Conservation Commission, Miller said he is aware of how many projects go unfunded for that department alone. The CPA, he said, could help with that.
Ryan and Miller both pointed out examples of projects that could potentially benefit from CPA funding: Winchester has 150 acres of open space and the trails need work, Wedge and Winter ponds need varying levels of restoration, the library is in need of repair as are the town’s tennis courts.
“I’m actually also on the Housing Partnership board myself, so I’ve got that additional perspective on the other potential areas of investment by CPA funds,” Miller added. “So, yeah, I think when we get this passed and we submit requests for proposals, they’re going to be numerous.”
But don’t expect things to be funded immediately. Ryan said while there is a committee working on implementation plans, it will take time for money to accrue and details to be worked out. But Miller said they would still be able to hit the ground running because of the work the implementation committee is doing now.
But why now?
Ryan said another question they’ve gotten a lot is why hasn’t Winchester done this sooner. While there have been other attempts, Ryan said it simply takes time for everything to line up and she believes this year it has.
“It’s just that the time is right now,” she said. “We’re leaving money on the table by not adopting it.”
For more information on Question 6, check out the Facebook page. Election Day is Nov. 5.
