The Community Preservation Committee will kick off its season with its annual public meeting on Tuesday, June 2.

The meeting will be held at the Swampscott Town Hall at 6 p.m. The annual meeting is required by the state Department of Revenue. The Community Preservation Act is a state law that helps preserve open space and historic sites, create affordable housing, and develop recreational facilities. Approximately two-thirds of Massachusetts communities participate in the Act, including nearby towns like Nahant and Salem.

Town Meeting Members approved the Act on November 11, 2024. As of July 1, 2025, all town real estate tax assessments are subject to a 1.5% Community Preservation Act surcharge, which will help fund eligible projects. Depending on a home’s assessed value, the annual surcharge will add

• $300,000 – there is now an additional $34 cost annually
• $750,000 – there is now an additional $110 cost annually
• $1,100,000 – there is now an additional $172 cost annually

Single residents over age 60 with incomes below $104,510 are exempt. For a four-person household, the exemption threshold is $149,300.

For residents under the age of 60, a single occupant with income below $83,000 is exempt. In a four-person household the income threshold is $119,440.

Before the 2024 vote, officials projected the act would generate about $1 million annually through local revenue and the state match. Historically, the state has matched between 20% and 40% of the amount raised by participating communities.

The Community Preservation Committee was formed last summer, and an article was voted on at Town Meeting last week to appropriate $44,375 from the 2027 fiscal year estimated revenues for committee administrative expenses as well as to reserve:

• $88,750 from the 2027 fiscal year estimated revenues for Historic Resources Reserve
• $88,750 from the 2027 fiscal year estimated revenues for Community Housing Reserve
• $88,750 from the 2027 fiscal year estimated revenues for Open Space Reserve
• $575,000 from the 2027 fiscal year estimated revenues for Budgeted Reserve

The unused money returns to the Community Preservation Fund, according to Community Preservation Committee Chair Tom Dawley.

“This money is always kept separately – away from the Town’s general fund – and put in the CPA Trust Fund,” Dawley told the Swampscott Tides. “These funds can only be spent on affordable housing initiatives; open space and recreation projects; and on historical preservation projects.”

The committee will officially begin accepting grant applications for the first time this fall.”