Voters adopted the Community Preservation Act in November, which places a surcharge of 1 percent on tax bills with the first $100,000 of value being exempt. That money is matched by the state at around 30 percent, depending on the year, and can be spent on projects for historical preservation, open space, conservation, and affordable housing. 

 

Which projects, or how much to save for future projects, will be determined by a Community Preservation Committee and then ratified by the City Council. On Monday, the council's Ordinance and Rules Committee took the first step in implementing the act by getting the ordinance in place, which dictates the numbers and makeup of the committee.

 

"We know we want this to be community driven so we don't want elected officials," said Councilor at Large Melissa Mazzeo. 

 

The subcommittee is recommending that the committee consists of nine people, five of which are dictated by state law already.

 

Representatives from the Conservation Commission, Historical Commission, Planning Board, recreation, and the Housing Authority need to sit on the board. The Ordinance and Rules Committee is suggesting that in addition to those five, four at-large seats are appointed by the mayor and approved by the City Council.The at-large positions will be for three-year terms and the mandated ones will be for one year.

 

But those at-large seats cannot be elected officials. 

 

City Planner CJ Hoss told the subcommittee that advocates really sent the message that since the measure was approved by a ballot initiative, that the program remains removed from politics as much as possible. The City Council ultimately has the final say anyway, so the hope is the Community Preservation Committee can bring in more voices to local government to vet the projects.

 

"Those four slots are opportunities for new energy to come into city government," Ward 6 Councilor John Krol said.

 

The subcommittee also debated whether or not the group should have a paid clerk. Mazzeo said she'd rather not see money being spent on stipends for clerks to take minutes and that instead a member of the group should be assigned that duty. Ward 5 Councilor Donna Todd Rivers, however, says the group has an important responsibility in recommending the expenditures of taxpayer money so the accuracy of the minutes is important — thus a paid clerk may be helpful. 

 

Councilor at Large Peter White said, "I think it is important that all of the committee members can focus on what is going on."

 

The committee has the option of spending about 5 percent of the community preservation income on administrative duties, which will mostly be clerical work. That includes posting meetings, advertising hearings, and similar incidences. Even if the committee decides to have a paid clerk, the money would come from the CPA pool instead of the general fund. Ultimately Ordinance and Rules took no stance on the topic.

 

The ordinance still needs to be adopted by the full City Council and then there is a 60-day window to put forth the names of the committee members. From there, there will be the crafting of an application process for project proponents, decisions on priorities, and training about the act and what can and cannot be done with the funds. 

 

"We would need to begin meeting right away before we can even think about spending any money," Hoss said. 

 

The surcharge is expected to bring in some $386,000 to be spent on projects in the identified areas. In other parts of the state, numerous programs and projects have been completed including rental assistance, first-time homebuyer programs, building brand-new affordable housing units, and demolishing or repurposing dilapidated buildings for housing. It can be used to clean up the site of an old gas station and turn it into a park. It's been used to preserve historic documents of a municipality. 

 

Locally it has been already suggested to be used to help redevelop the former St. Mary the Morning Star Church on Tyler Street or create a dog park. 

 

Voters passed the adoption of the act by a 63 percent to 37 percent margin.