Bellingham Finance Committee Recommends Community Preservation Act for Town Meeting

BELLINGHAM -- April 27, 2026, Bellingham Finance Committee narrowly recommends Community Preservation Act proposal ahead of May 27 town meeting. The five-member panel voted 3-2 on April 27 to recommend Article 19, which would place a 1.5 percent property-tax surcharge on the November ballot to fund a CPA account for open space, historic preservation, housing, and recreation, generating an estimated $650,000 annually in local revenue plus a state match averaging 24 percent over the past decade. Parks Commissioner Douglas Martin, who co-presented with Chad Kelley, noted that Bellingham has been contributing to the state CPA trust fund through deed fees since at least 2001 "and we got zero dollars for it." The committee also reversed a prior 5-1 vote to unanimously recommend Article 20, accepting a Freeman Street land donation the assessor flagged as likely to trigger costly tax-title proceedings if refused. In a separate consensus action, the committee declined to issue any recommendation on Article 2, the proposed $3 million Proposition 2½ operating override, with one member stating, "This is bigger than the Finance Committee."