Residents campaign for Community Preservation Act

With decades of experience as an electrical engineer and inventor, Bruce Rohr’s sights remain firmly fixed on the possible.

It’s an approach that has led him to numerous discoveries over the years, and one that also guides his involvement in civic affairs — right down to his participation in the newly formed Canton Green Team.

Last spring, Rohr found a new source of optimism when the town took the first step toward adoption of the Massachusetts Community Preservation Act (CPA), which allows communities to raise and earmark revenue for the specific purpose of open space preservation, preservation of historic sites, development of affordable housing, and development of outdoor recreational facilities.

In Canton’s case, the funding would be generated through a 1 percent surcharge on the annual real estate tax levy, excluding the first $100,000 of taxable real estate. In addition, the state would match an estimated 25 percent of the funds raised locally.

“I think that it’s one of the better programs that the state has come up with,” said Rohr, who, as a member of the town’s Conservation Commission, was among the sponsors of the article that received widespread support at last year’s annual town meeting.

But the real challenge for Rohr and other CPA supporters begins now, as they will have to convince voters to sign off on a ballot question in the upcoming town election — something that they were not able to do back in 2006, the only other time that the law appeared on a Canton ballot.

This time, according to Rohr, the group has a plan, and it began in earnest last month with the formation of a political action committee, led by ConCom Chairman Deb Sundin.

Calling themselves the Voters for the Preservation of Canton, the committee will seek to educate Canton voters about the costs and benefits associated with becoming a CPA community, and they will do so using a coordinated campaign strategy that will draw on traditional as well as modern methods, including social media tools.

“We plan to run it very similar to the way that someone would run a campaign for Planning Board or School Committee, or any other major elected office,” explained Rohr, who serves as the committee’s treasurer.

They held an initial forum last month at the Knights of Columbus Hall, and while Rohr admitted that the turnout was “disappointing,” he fully expects the response to grow as they draw closer to the election.

“It’s a pretty divisive issue,” Rohr acknowledged, citing the vocal opposition expressed by some at town meeting, including selectmen Avril Elkort and John Connolly.

The biggest sticking point among opponents appears to be the additional tax, which is always a tough sell, but particularly in a down economy.

Supporters, however, counter that the actual burden on property owners would be modest — an estimated $42 per year for homeowners and twice that amount for businesses, according to figures cited by Sundin at town meeting. In addition, low-income property owners would be exempt from the tax.

“[CPA] would provide modest funding for important things that would not be funded otherwise,” said Rohr, who pointed to the Little Red House at Pequitside Farm — one of the oldest houses in America — as the type of project that could be preserved using CPA funds.

He added that the program would be an “excellent example of direct democracy,” as each potential CPA project, after being selected by a seven- to nine-member Community Preservation Committee, would have to be approved by voters at annual town meeting.

“It would be the most thoroughly vetted process that we’ve ever had,” said Rohr.

One potential drawback of the program is that it has to remain in effect for a minimum of five years, although it has yet to be repealed in any of the state’s 148 CPA communities.

In fact, Rohr said he has spoken to residents in some of these towns, including neighboring Stoughton, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. A native of Kingston, Rohr said he has talked to people there who are “not politically involved at all,” and yet they “all know what CPA is and what it stands for.”

“They universally love it,” he said.

Rohr is confident that the same would be true in Canton, where open space and historical preservation have long been top priorities.

“It would really, really help this town,” he insisted.

As for the Voters of the Preservation of Canton, Rohr said they are just getting off the ground, although they already have a number of key supporters, including Wally Gibbs, chairman of the Canton Historical Commission, and local historian George Comeau, among others.

The committee plans to hold a campaign kickoff meeting in mid January with a core group of eight to ten people, and then they will hit the ground running — right up until Election Day on Tuesday, April 3.

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=10117

Posted by Jay Turner on Dec 8 2011. Filed under News. Both comments and pings are currently closed.