...these things aren’t really necessary in Arlington.
A responsible government takes care of basic needs such as public education, public safety, public works and public health. These things are indeed necessary -- but they're not sufficient to maintain and foster a vibrant, desirable community that respects its heritage and offers a quality of life that its residents value highly. It must also protect its cultural legacy, preserve its natural and recreational resources, and ensure that those who struggle can find affordable places to live.The Community Preservation Act allows towns like Arlington to protect these qualities that are too often neglected.
...my taxes will go up dramatically.
Less than a quarter a day -- $86 a year – for the average Arlington household.If adopted by Arlington voters, the Community Preservation Act will allow a surcharge of 1.5% to be levied on residential and commercial property. All taxpayers would receive an automatic exemption on the first $100,000 of their property value. And low and moderate-income seniors and all low-income residents would qualify for complete exemptions from the surcharge.
To estimate the potential impact on your household check out our online Calculator.
...we’re stuck with it forever.
The Community Preservation Act allows communities to withdraw from participation after five years.No city or town has ever opted to do so.
...it hurts lower income residents.
Protection for low-income residents is a critical part of the Community Preservation Act. A four-person family with income below $75,280 is entirely exempt. Use our online Calculator to see exemptions for other household sizes....it’s especially bad for seniors.
In fact, the exemptions are even greater for seniors.Our seniors are protected by an exemption for not only low-income but also moderate-income households. And 'seniors' for purposes of the exemption are age 60 and older, so the exemption will apply to many residents.
Any home owned or occupied by an individual 60 or older, living alone, and earning less than $65,870, would qualify for a full exemption; for couples, the income limit is $75,280. (To estimate the impact on you, see our online Calculator.)
Of particular interest to many seniors are some of the project areas that might be considered under the Community Preservation Act like historic preservation efforts for buildings such as the Senior Center.
...we’ll get nothing from the State.
For more than a decade, Arlington residents have been paying recording fees to the Registry of Deeds for every real estate transaction. Part of these fees has funded a State match to Community Preservation Act communities. However, because Arlington has not adopted the Community Preservation Act, we have not received a dime.By adopting the Community Preservation Act, Arlington will get a share of both recording fees and additional amounts appropriated by the Legislature.
The level of the state contribution is not guaranteed. During the history of CPA it has ranged as low as 27% -- at that level, we would gain about $300,000 per year in state funding. At last year's rate of 52% we would have received about $570,000.
...this is bad for the schools.
Over the past year the Town has reinforced its commitment to our schools to address growing enrollment and rising special education costs. Adoption of Community Preservation Act takes nothing away from this commitment....it’ll make it harder to get the high school rebuilt.
We need to rebuild our high school, a debt exclusion will be required, and five years from now the voters will make that decision. We trust the voters of Arlington to help shape our community’s future. Just as Community Preservation Act earns us state help in preserving our community, the state will be a partner in the future of Arlington High School.…Community Preservation Act can’t fund parks, playgrounds and playing fields.
Originally, that was true. In 2012 Community Preservation Act was changed by the legislature to allow for investment in building and renewing outdoor recreation facilities. That change is one of the reasons that Community Preservation Act now makes sense for Arlington.… that some committee gets to decide on Community Preservation Act spending.
Town Meeting gets to decide. Town Meeting will create a Community Preservation Committee which is charged with recommending projects each year. And just as it does on all other Town spending, Town Meeting will have the final say....that Community Preservation Act will hurt our budgets.
On the contrary, it will help.By funding some existing projects through Community Preservation Act funds -- and taking advantage of the state contribution -- we can help relieve our budgets by freeing general tax revenues for other purposes.
...that our capital budget already covers these areas
The presence of a recreation project in the Capital Plan is no guarantee that that project will be funded when scheduled. These projects are often bumped by higher-priority projects. For example, in 5 out of the last 15 years when Robbins Farm had a project in the 5-year capital plan, the project was pushed back in the plan.Arlington’s capital budgets include no funding at all for community housing or for open space protection.
