Who decides how to spend a city or town’s CPA revenues?
The legislative body of the city or town (city council or town meeting) ultimately must approve any CPA expenditure based on the recommendations of the Community Preservation Committee. The Committee is required to study the community preservation needs of the city or town, hold a public hearing, consult with relevant boards and committees and make recommendations to the legislative body for the expenditure of CPA funds. The legislative body may approve, reduce or reject the recommended appropriations, or it may reserve CPA funds for future projects. How is the Community Preservation Committee constituted? The legislative body of the city or town must adopt an ordinance or a bylaw establishing the Committee. The CPA requires that the Committee include at least 5 members from the following boards and commissions, each of whom is to be selected by the applicable board or commission: the conservation commission, the parks and recreation commission, the housing authority, the preservation
