To the editor:
On May 13, Egremont voters will be voting on whether to adopt the Community Preservation Act (CPA) (Ballot Question 2). I strongly urge us to vote “yes,” and I would like to explain why.
As you may know, my family has been here for about 100 years. Egremont is in my bones. I love it. And I am concerned. We have a serious housing crisis. For years I have listened to lots of talk. Finally, we are actually doing something about it: building four units of housing on the land owned by the town and adopting an affordable housing tax exemption for property owners who rent to local workforce tenants, as well as other projects like that in the works.
But these kinds of projects are going to take money—some of it private, but definitely some of it public. The CPA is a fair way to raise some of that money. It is a small (three percent) surcharge on our real estate taxes. People of lower income won’t pay anything.
Don’t get me wrong. Of course I would rather not pay anything more, but I just don’t see that as an option. I know what we are up against. If we do nothing, we will just continue to see our young people move away, new families not be able to move here, businesses unable to hire people—you know the problems.
Adopting the CPA is one important way we can continue to make progress toward making Egremont affordable.
Please vote “YES” on Ballot Question 2 on May 13.
Thank you.
Mary Brazie
Egremont
Editor’s Note:Â Mary Brazie is a member of the Egremont Select Board.
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