Boston: Did you know there's a Question 5 on the ballot this year?

Tue, 11 Oct 2016 12:53:52 GMT

You probably know about the 4 ballot questions for Massachusetts this upcoming election (slot machines, charter schools, animal cruelty, marijuana) -- did you know that Boston will have a 5th Question? It hasn't been talked about much!

It's about the Community Preservation Act, which would establish funding for affordable housing, parks, and preservation projects out of a 1% increase in property tax (with certain exemptions) plus matching state funds. Below I've copied the text from page 5 of the Boston ballot questions PDF:

( Question 5 )

And here are some resources and articles I dug up, since I don't know much about it myself:

CPA tax calculator to see what the additional surcharge would be. (For the 3-story house I live in in Lower Allston, the additional yearly tax would be about $70.)
There's an editorial in the Boston Globe arguing for it. Apparently 160 other towns have already opted in to the CPA.
Marty Walsh supports it
Wikipedia

...and that's all I've found so far, although I need to check in with one of housemates who I think has more details.

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Boston: Did you know there's a Question 5 on the ballot this year?