SOUTHWICK – Russell S. Fox, vice-chairman of the Southwick Board of Selectmen, said that in addition to the normal budget considerations at the Annual Town Meeting, there are several interesting articles regarding the Community Preservation Act that he would like citizens to weigh in on. The Annual Town Meeting will be held Tuesday, May 17 at 7:00 p.m. in the auditorium of the Southwick Regional High School, preceded by a Special Town Meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the same location.
Fox said that the Finance Committee is asking residents to review the terms of the Community Preservation Act (CPA) which the town voted to accept on a five-year commitment in 2002.
“The program has done I think a lot of good,” Fox said. He said that 1,000 acres of land have been preserved. They have established a museum, preserved records and housing through the program.
Fox added that if the town votes for the Whalley Park funding at the town meeting, they will have spent $2 million to preserve Whalley Park. Article 15 will be asking the town to vote to appropriate and transfer the sum of $541,890.00 from the Community Preservation General Fund in order to install lights for the softball field, the 90ft baseball field, the pavilion, the play-scape and all currently unlit roads, and parking lots, to install electricity for the pavilion and the stage area and to purchase 6 picnic tables and 10 benches at the park.
The two articles that Fox wants voters to consider ask whether to decrease the contribution for the CPA from 3% to 1%, and whether to extend to businesses the exemption on the first $100,000 valuation that residents currently receive.
RUSS FOX
Article 25, which was requested by the Finance Committee, is asking the voters whether they would like to decrease the surcharge (tax) on real property from 3% to 1% to pay for the Community Preservation Act.
The majority of the Finance Committee felt that the townspeople essentially had already determined through a survey held a year ago that they wished to retain the program but that there was sufficient reason to put the question on the ballot as to the percentage, according to the explanation on the warrant.
Fox said that when the town entered into the agreement at 3%, they did not have the debt exclusion which was approved three years ago for renovations to the schools.
“Now that the (school) project is completed, and we’ll be doing the final borrowing, it does impact the taxpayers,” Fox said. He said the impact could be 80-87 cents per thousand in tax increases. Fox said reducing the Community Preservation contribution to 1% could help lower the tax impact to residents.
The Board of Selectman also asked the School Committee for a one-time reduction to the assessment of $190,000 at its April 24 meeting, which passed. At the meeting, Joseph J. Deedy, chairman of the Board of Selectmen said that the town was also planning to use money from free cash to help with the tax rate this year.
Article 24, also proposed by the Finance Committee, asks whether to extend the CPA first $100,000 valuation exemption to commercial property. Currently, residents do not pay the CPA tax contribution on the first $100,000, but businesses have to contribute from the first dollar. This article asks voters to decide whether to give businesses the same option that homeowners get, Fox said.
“It comes down to dollars and cents issues,” Fox said. He said two years ago, they were able to reduce taxes by a few cents, and last year, they went up 10 cents.
“The thinking was that it was the time to ask voters to review the CPA,” Fox said. “We’re going to let the voters decide to see if they’d like to reduce it or let it remain the same.”
