The Community Preservation Act (CPA) is a unique program which allows communities to establish a local Community Preservation Fund to complete projects in community housing, historic preservation, open space protection, and outdoor recreation. Communities raise these funds by adopting an up to 3% surcharge on property taxes which is matched annually from the statewide Community Preservation Trust Fund. 

Newton passed the CPA in 2001 with a 1% local surcharge and established the Community Preservation Committee at the same time to oversee Newton's program. The program is regulated by both the state enabling legislation (the Massachusetts Community Preservation Act) and Newton's own locally established Community Preservation Ordinance and program guidelines.

Massachusetts Community Preservation Act (CPA) 

Approved by the state legislature in 2000, and most recently updated in 2019, the Community Preservation Act has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for projects throughout Massachusetts that support affordable housing, preserve historic resources, protect open space resources, and create recreational amenities.  The Statewide CPA Trust Fund had distributed over $726 million in matching funds to participating communities on an annual basis since 2002. For additional information on the text and details of the Community Preservation Act, see the following links below:

• Community Preservation Act  - Full text of legislation, including revisions through 2019 
• Sources of Funds -- Breakdown of where Newton's CPA funding comes from and options for other potential funding sources. 
• Required Allocation of Funds -- Minimum requirements for distribution of CPA funding between funding categories (community housing, historic resources, open space and recreation) as stated in the CPA legislation
• Allowable Uses of Funds - Helpful chart explaining how each category is defined and what types of projects (acquisition, creation, preservation, rehabilitation, restoration, and/or support) are allowed under the CPA legislation
• Community Preservation Coalition -- Statewide nonprofit organization providing technical support and assistance to CPA communities, including support for local efforts to adopt the CPA

Newton's Community Preservation Program

Newton's CPA Ordinances (updated October 2019) define the duties of, and appointments to, Newton's Community Preservation Committee (CPC), how the CPC works with the Mayor and City Council, and the implications of using CPA funds to preserve and rehabilitate City-owned buildings.

How much do you contribute to Newton's Community Preservation Fund?

Homeowners contribute 1% of their annual real estate tax amount to Newton's Community Preservation Fund.  In FY22, the median amount of this contribution for a single family or condominium homeowner is as follows:

The current median value of a Single Family Home is $1,132,650 and the real estate tax rate is $10.76 per thousand dollars of value. The median annual property tax for a homeowner in a median priced single family home is $12,187.31.  At 1% of the annual real estate taxes, their CPA contribution would be $121.87.