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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2001-05-15 Community Preservation Act Study Committee MinutesIVED CLERK D NIG, MASS. TOWN OF READING 2001 JUN 18 A 11: 20 COMMUNITY PRESERVATION ACT STUDY COMMITTEE MINUTES May 15, 2001 Call to Order Peter Hechenbleikner, Town Manager, called the meeting to order at 7:40 P.M. Members present were Jack Downing, Paul Dustin, Richard Howard, Andrew Grimes, Kim Honetschlager, Patricia Lloyd and Rick Schubert. Andrew Grimes and Patricia Lloyd had not been sworn in yet and did not vote. Rick Schubert is also liaison to the BOS. Charge to Committee PH reviewed the charge to the committee, which was attached to the committee's packet. The committee is to learn as much as possible about the CPA, to evaluate the CPA's applicability to Reading, to advise the BOS on the advantages and disadvantages of the CPA and to offer the BOS a ranking of its options and the reasons for the ranking. The Committee is to complete its work by September 2001 so as to allow time for the BOS to place an article on the warrant for the Fall Town Meeting if it should decide to do so. PH advised that it would be prudent to meet with the BOS periodically. He will advise the Committee the date on which the warrant closes. Election of Officers PH called for nominations for Chair and Vice Chair of the Committee. KH was elected Chair by a vote of 5-0-0. PD was elected Vice Chair by a vote of 5-0-0. The erection is subject to BOS approval. It was decided not to elect a Secretary; instead, the responsibilities will be rotated each meeting. RH acted as Secretary for this meeting. Operating Procedures for Committees etc. PH reviewed the Operating Procedures which were in the Committee's packet. Essentially, the Committee is assigned to the Department of General Services. The Committee is subject to the open meeting law. Its meetings are open to the public, must be held in a public building and posted 48 hours in advance including Saturdays but excluding Sundays and holidays. A quorum is the majority of members. Actions can only be taken by the Committee if supported by five or more votes. Minutes must be kept of each meeting. Staff Availability PH indicated that staff support is limited. Paula Schena is available to assist in posting of meetings and making copies. The Committee should contact PH if it has legal or tax questions. CPA The Committee discussed how best to proceed. It was pointed out that the act provided that a community could, by a vote of Town Meeting and approval by a majority of voters at a Town election, raise property taxes by up to 3% surcharge for affordable housing, recreation/open space preservation, and preservation of historic buildings. A minimum of 10% must be allocated to each of the three categories with the remaining 70% allocated, as determined by the Town. The State Legislature is considering matching funds on some basis. Seventeen communities are reported to have approved the CPA and many more have rejected it. Information Gathering Public. The use of a survey was discussed as a means of gauging public opinion. This could be conducted in August after sufficient information was gathered. PH advised clearing the survey or any press releases with the BOS. The possibility of one or more focus groups with representatives of the public was also mentioned. Other Committees/Boards. It was also mentioned that the Committee might interview one or more members of various Town Boards such as Open Space, Recreation, Conservation, CPDC, Historical and Housing Authority. It was decided to invite the Recreation and Open Space committees to our next meeting and post it as a joint meeting of the three committees. The invited committees would be requested to bring with them a prioritized "wish list" of their committees preferences for uses of fund and/or missed opportunities. Web Sites. The are a number of web sites which contain much information about the CPA. One site mentioned is: www.communitypreservation.org. The Mass Audubon and Land Trust were other sites mentioned. Other Data. Reading's population was 23,500 in 1975 and was very close to that number in 2000. However. The number of houses has increased. Tom Ryan indicated that the average house in Reading is appraised at $280,000 and if taxes were increased 3% it would raise $576,000 (with the first $100,000 exempted) at an average additional tax of $76 per residence. KH felt that large open spaces such as the Longwood Poultry Farm and the Spence Farm need to be identified as well as smaller pieces. Issues • AG indicated that it was difficult to put money in the Town's Capital Plan because no one knew when a desirable piece of land would become available. • Bill Brown asked what were the strings attached to the State money and could the State divert the matching funds from this program like it did for the Historic Preservation Act. • Tom Ryan suggested that the Committee advise the BOS as to both the advantages and the disadvantages of implementing the CPA. • What would be the cost to the Town if open space were developed for single family homes? • RS felt that the CPA was very complex and the Committee would have to summarize all the information for the BOS, for Town Meeting and for the voters showing the benefits and costs of implementation and rejection. • PD said that the Committee must answer the question: Why should the Town assess itself this tax for these three things when there are so many other areas in need? It was mentioned that the high school will need to be funded at $60 to $70 Million and the new Dividence school needs to be staffed. Closing KH announced that the next meeting would be at 7:30PM on Thursday May 24 in the Conference Room. The Recreation Committee and the Open Space Committee would both be invited. The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 PM by a vote of 5-0-0. n 4ard D. Howard F Acting Secretary