Our Annual Town Meeting was held in early April and there were 107 articles on the warrant. Only 23 of them were called for discussion and among those generating the most debate were the articles concerning extending the municipal sewer system along Nantucket Harbor (Monomoy and Shimmo) and in several Mid-Island neighborhoods. After much discussion, voters opted to amend the article to put the entire $41 million onto the general tax base rather than allocating a 25% betterment fee to those 500 homeowners who will now be required to hook into town sewer. The impact of this to the average residential property is $130.50 per year for the next 30 years, or $9.68 per $100,000 of assessed property value. Nantucket is currently under a mandate from the State Department of Environmental Protection to address the decline in water quality in our harbors which, among other causes, is related to the increased nitrogen loading from septic systems leaching into the harbor waters. The need to act now was largely driven by the availability of no-interest loans by the state.
The Town’s $86.8 million municipal operating budget passed as recommended, as well as $2.6 million from the Community Preservation Fund towards affordable housing initiatives, historic preservation and open-space acquisition.
There were 28 zoning articles, including one that would allow buildings of up to 40 feet in height (the current maximum allowed is 30 feet) in some locations which would enable the use of third story apartments. A “tiny house” article also passed that permits small homes (up to 500 s.f.) to be built on moveable trailers or foundations in certain zoning districts outside of the Old Historic Districts. These “tiny houses” would be subject to zoning regulations and required to obtain local regulatory approvals (HDC, Building Permits, etc.). They would also have to connect to Town water and sewer.
Voters shot down an article that would have instituted term limits on most boards and commissions. There seemed to be a strong feeling that institutional island knowledge outweighs the need for fresh thinking. Voters also turned down an article that would have changed the Town Clerk from an elected to an appointed position.