The Community Preservation Act (CPA) is a Massachusetts State Act which enables a community to create a local fund to protect its natural and cultural resources, by adding a surcharge to local real estate taxes.
In Billerica, the surcharge is 1%. Exemptions apply.
The local CPA fund receives yearly guaranteed disbursement matches from a statewide trust fund, the revenues of which are derived from a surcharge the Commonwealth places on (real estate) transaction fees at the Registry of Deeds - but only cities and towns that adopted CPA receive a disbursement match. Since CPA was signed into law in 2000, 175 communities have adopted it and benefited from it. Billerica citizens voted to adopt it on Election Day, November 8, 2016.
State Laws - https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleVII/Chapter44B
Town By-Law (Page 23) - https://www.town.billerica.ma.us/DocumentCenter/Home/View/5929