Frank Molis
Vice Chair
The Community Preservation Act (Massachusetts General Laws chapter 44b, or "CPA") allows local communities to adopt a surcharge on property taxes and receive state matching funds for affordable housing, historic resources, open space and recreation land. The citizens of Malden adopted the CPA in November 2015, with a 1% local surcharge.
The Act also specifies the types of work or activities that may be funded for each resource, to ensure that "community preservation funds [do] not replace existing operating funds, only augment them." For example, the CPA may not be used to fund routine maintenance.