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Date: 4/11/2023
HOLYOKE — During its April 4 meeting the Holyoke City Council approved through a 7-6 vote a ballot question that allows residents to decide in the next election whether to lower the Community Preservation Act (CPA) surcharge from 1.5% to 1%.
The council’s order cited rising utilities, food and heating costs as financial stressors on property owners. The CPA was adopted by Holyoke voters in 2016 and the surcharged added to property tax bills provides funding for historic preservation, low-income housing, land conservation and recreation projects across the city.
At-Large Councilor Joseph McGiverin said the ballot question offered voters a clear choice and noted that few communities in the state impose a 3% property tax surcharge, the maximum rate.
“The 1.5 is not the high percentage,” McGiverin noted. “The committee asked the Law Department to put together the language and I think the Law Department did a pretty good job of keeping the simple question. Yes or no questions are never completely simple when it means you’re governing by ballot because there’s always more to a yes or a no…It’s quite clear giving the voters the choice if they so choose to reduce the 1.5 to 1%.”
Holyoke’s 1.5% rate is lower than most communities with the CPA surcharge in place. This November, voters will decide on cutting the rate or maintaining the current 1.5% surcharge.
“We certainly welcome opponents and proponents of this question between now and November to offer their positions on this,” McGiverin added. “It’s important to understand it was the voters who gave us, the city, the right to use CPA money and it’s the voters that I think rightfully have a chance to take a look at the option of reducing it if they so choose.”
McGiverin also noted that CPA Committee Chair Meagan Magrath-Smith explained that the administrative cost is part of the formula for the CPA and she expressed some concerns about too much of a reduction in the surcharge leading to the loss of their part-time staff.
At-Large Councilor Peter Tallman added he supported the ballot question adding that voters should have a say in this. Ward 4 Councilor Kocayne Givner was fine with the current set up of the CPA surcharge and added it was a great way for the city to continue getting funding for projects in the city that needed to get done.
“I am under the impression this has been in front of the public. The CPA tax was voted in as something to benefit the city and then twice now this similar question has been put on the ballot to see if we could reduce the CPA fund percentage, so I just wonder if this is not doing a lot of work for something that’s unnecessary,” Givner said.
Ward 5 Councilor Linda Vacon initially proposed a .5% surcharge when first discussed by the Charter and Rules Committee but once the Finance Committee reviewed and discussed the proposal and came away at a compromise of 1%. The CPA Committee vets project proposals before offering recommendations to the City Council where it is ultimately decided on.
“I hope my colleagues will vote to give the voters the right to weigh in on this,” Vacon said during discussion.
Ward 6 Councilor Juan Anderson-Burgos said he would not be voting to put the question on this November ballot but not because disagreed with the idea. He referenced low voter turnout for municipal elections and proposed placing the question on the November 2024 presidential ballot.
“Something of this magnitude, if you’re going to be presenting it to the voters then we should really be waiting for a larger voter turnout and we all know that this year were not going to have that turnout,” Anderson-Burgos said. “When we got this passed, look at the turnout back then and how many people were in favor of it. I only feel that its right if were going to do this, then let’s do it next election next year. That would make more sense. I don’t know why we’re trying to rush this through now at this point.”
In the 2016 presidential election the city of Holyoke saw over 15,000 voters which was over 60% in turnout. Compared to the 2021 election cycle when Mayor Garcia was elected, Holyoke voters saw just over a 30% turnout rate.
At-Large Councilors Tessa Murphy-Romboletti and Israel Rivera said constituents are in support of the CPA program and current rate and said they have not heard many concerns expressed to them on the issue.
Rivera added he would not be voting in favor of it and also noted the last time voters had this ballot question regarding CPA surcharge, a yes vote created the program while a no vote kept Holyoke without it. This time, a yes vote lowers the percentage, and a no vote keeps it at the 1.5%. Rivera said with this being said, it was important to make sure it was clear to voters come election time.
“I understand that the last go around the body left it up to the people, but the people also elected me too to make these decisions sometimes so for this situation I will not be voting for it,” Rivera said. “It’s not that I don’t agree taxes are going up and things are getting expensive but I actually value a lot of what is going on throughout the community in regards to CPA and a lot of the people that voted for me actually value it too and they have asked me to not vote in favor for this.”
Romboletti added she had not once been pushed towards decreasing the CPA surcharge and said there were ways they can improve the way the operate their CPA fund but this was not the way.
“I just feel like while I agree the economic conditions have been challenging, this particular ballot question feels very different from the first ballot question. I worry that the way that we’re going about this is not the best so I understand that it’s the will of the people, but I get a lot of emails and the only ones about CPA I’m getting are advocating for the program and the great things being done,” said Murphy-Romboletti.
“That’s not to say I want to get in the way of the will of the voters but I do feel like it’s a large undertaking.”
At-Large Councilor Kevin Jourdain said he took heat back in 2016 for voting to bring the CPA surcharge to the ballot as “a number of people were concerned about another tax.”
“I voted to put it on the ballot because who am I to stand in the way of the voters to have their say about this and as it turns out I think I obviously made the right decision because a majority of the citizens ending up wanting it,” Jourdain said.
Jourdain added why it was the right decision then was the same reason he was voting to put the question on the ballot this time. He also said the voters “are very smart people” and he had complete faith in them understanding the ballot question come election day.
“There’s good arguments for and against it, let the people make their arguments and let the people decide. That’s what’s best in our democracy,” Jourdain said.
Project proposals for the CPA committee have been listed and recommended to the City Council for final approval. The committee’s 2023 funding recommendations include highlights such as further funding on the Anniversary Hill-Scott Tower renovation project, for restoration work at Wistariahurst, further conservation of Gloutak Park on Rock Valley Road and a few other projects.
A vote on the CPA surcharge in November will either keep the same rate or change it, potentially creating less CPA dollars for future projects.