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<br />FINCOM-Regular Session <br />August 6,2026 <br /> <br /> CPC Presentation <br />Arden Russell, Chair of the Community Preservation Committee (CPC), discussed the <br />proposed warrant article to reduce the Community Preservation Act surcharge from 2% to <br />1%. Russell noted that the surcharge had been reduced from 3% to 2%, a change the CPC <br />supported, but the committee voted 8-0 to oppose the proposed additional reduction. <br />Russell stated that the reduction would shift the tax burden rather than eliminate it and <br />emphasized the importance of maintaining a balance among the Town’s needs. <br />Russel stated that the CPC has funded projects that may otherwise be vulnerable to <br />budget cuts, including school facilities, open space, a?ordable housing, historic <br />preservation, recreation, and clean-water initiatives. <br />Since 2005, Mashpee has received approximately $9.1 million in state matching funds <br />through the program. For FY2027, the Town expects approximately $1.249 million in CPA <br />revenue at the 2% surcharge, with a reduction potentially a?ecting the amount of state <br />matching funds received. <br />Russell further explained that CPC funds are divided among specific categories and cannot <br />simply be shifted between them. The committee has supported open space, a?ordable <br />housing, historic preservation, and water-quality initiatives. <br />FINCOM Members discussed concerns regarding increasing wastewater costs and the <br />need to balance those costs with other community priorities. Russell stated that reducing <br />CPA funding in favor of a single need could limit the Town’s ability to fund other projects, <br />including recreation facilities, fields, boat landings, and open-space acquisitions. <br />Members also discussed projects currently under consideration and the potential impact <br />of reduced CPA funding on the Town’s ability to fully fund future projects. <br /> <br />Lynne Barbee, a member of the CPC, stated that for years the committee has heard that <br />a?ordable housing and clean water initiatives are competing priorities, but she has <br />consistently argued that the Town needs to support both. Barbee expressed concern that <br />reducing the CPA surcharge could result in the loss of funding that will be needed for future <br />a?ordable housing projects. She stated that the issue should not be viewed as an either-or <br />choice and emphasized the importance of maintaining su?icient CPA funding to address <br />both a?ordable housing and clean-water needs. <br /> <br />2 <br /> <br /> <br />