Community Preservation Committee

About

The Community Preservation Committee meets on the third Wednesday of most months. While projects can be accepted throughout the year, we request that projects be brought to the Committee by February for May Town Meeting and the month before Fall Town Meeting. All projects must be heard before the closing of the warrant.

The Act establishes a Community Preservation Fund financed by property tax surcharges and matching revenues from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Act provides new funding sources which can be used to address core community concerns: 

• acquire and preserve open space, parks and conservation land,
• protect public drinking water supplies, and scenic areas,
• protect farmland and forests from future development,
• restore and preserve historic properties,
• help meet local families’ housing needs.

This gives the community the opportunity to determine its priorities, plan for its future, and have the funds to make those plans happen. A Community Preservation Committee composed of local citizens will make recommendation on the use of the funds.

In the May 2007, election Littleton voters passed a ballot question that allowed for a 1% surcharge on a homeowner's property tax bill after the first $100,000 is exempted.   Exemptions are also available for those qualifying for low-income housing or low/moderate income senior housing. Contact the Assessor's Office for more information about the surcharge or see the Surcharge and Exemption tab below.

The State provides matching funds created by a filing fee surcharge at the Registry of Deeds created specifically for the CPA. 

The money, kept in a separate CPA account by the town, must be spent for the purposes detailed above. Each category must receive a minimum of 10% of CPA funds annually. The remaining funds may be used for any one of the categories or split up amongst them as the town sees fit.