Letter to the Editor: The Community Preservation Act

Smart homeowners know the best investment they can make is in the value of their properties, which is intrinsically linked the larger community.

The Community Preservation Act (CPA) is exactly the kind of investment this city needs to make to maintain the revitalization we’ve enjoyed in recent years.

After the forum hosted by the Mack Park Neighborhood Association last week, I’m very confident about supporting CPA (voting YES on question #4), which would add 1% to Salem property taxes to leverage state funds for parks, open spaces, historic preservation and affordable housing. The State would match the funds for between 25% and 50%. The tax would represent about $30/year (12.1 cents/day), and only from property owners who can afford it.  

The opposition maintains that the CPA would make Salem less affordable to live. The rewritten CPA exempts four-person households earning $78,240 or below, and $68,460 for a senior-citizen household of one. The first $100,000 in property value is exempt for EVERYONE.

CPA funds are for earmarked for 1) improving parks and open spaces; 2) preserving historic landmarks; and 3) keeping our community affordable. Think of repairing the dilapidated fence around Salem Common, or making housing affordable for community workers like teachers and firefighters. Two CPA proponents are Mickey Northcutt, Executive Director of the North Shore Community Development Coalition, and Christine Sullivan, CEO of the Enterprise Center, two people invested in the value of affordable housing and business growth in Salem.  

Sullivan pointed out, "The future of our city relies on having a good quality of life…We are leaving $80,000 to $200,000 in the pot for other communities to get." Fully 148 Massachusetts communities are CPA recipients, including Gloucester. Salem pays into CPA; let’s protect what we have already, while adding value to the entire community. All for 12.1 cents a day.

Sara Maurno, resident and homeowner