Wrentham CPC Overview

The Wrentham Community Preservation Committee (WCPC) wants to make sure the residents understand how eligibility works; how the project approval process works; and what the funding sources are for the Wrentham Community Preservation Act (CPA) Fund.

Eligibility

Projects must fall into four categories and are only eligible for CPA funding if they fit in a box with a "Yes" in the chart. For instance, one can use funds to Acquire recreation space, Create it (build trails or a ball field), Preserve it, Rehabilitate it (i.e. rehab old tennis courts) but not Support it (ongoing maintenance).

Is This Project Eligible?

There are a LOT of expenditures that CPA funds CANNOT be used for; examples include: to pave a street; fix potholes; build sidewalks; hire teachers; fire fighters or police officers; or supplemental funds to build school classroom buildings. Regular town funding needs to address these areas, not CPA funds.

Project Process

  1. Project Eligibility - WCPC determines if a project is eligible.
  2. Project Application and Presentation - WCPC requires a project application and a project presentation, then discusses the projects presented in total this year.
  3. WCPC Votes - If approved by majority of members, project moves to Town Meeting. 
  4. Town Meeting Residents Vote - Residents must approve a project to commit CPA funds. A simple majority vote passes most projects. A 2/3 approval is required for borrowing money to pay for a project, as determined by WCPC with input from the Finance Committee and Town Administration

Funding Sources

Funds for the Wrentham CPA come from two sources:

  1. Since 2017 a surcharge on Wrentham Real Estate Taxes. This will collect approximately $300,000 this year. 
  2. State Matching Funds. Each November, the State partially matches our CPA collections. This has ranged from 24% to 43% of our tax collections in recent years, hypothetically equaling $72,000 - $129,000 on the above $300,000 number. So Total revenue per year is about $370,000 to over $400,000, depending on the State Match.

Projects for Spring 2024

Projects for Consideration by Wrentham
The Wrentham Community Preservation Committee (WCPC) recommends that voters vote Yes on all projects.