UPDATED: See Where the Money is Coming From for the Pro & Con CPA Campaigns

Signs have popped up around Watertown this fall, literature has arrived in the mail, and ads have appeared in newspapers and online, all regarding Watertown’s Question 5 – whether the town should adopt the Community Preservation Act. The CPA would add a 2 percent surcharge to local property taxes, both residential and commercial, to create a fund for affordable housing, open space and recreation, and historic preservation and the town would receive some matching fund from the state. (See more information here.)

Like most town elections, the majority of the funding comes from people and groups in Watertown, but some has come from groups based out of town and even out of state. In the campaign finance report filed by Invest in Watertown, the backers of the Yes on 5 campaign, 26 Watertown residents contributed along with Newton-based Metro West Collaborative Development (which gave $500), whose executive director lives in Watertown and works to build and create affordable housing in communities west of Boston. In total, the group raised $9,822.