Menemsha fishermen will face tighter regulations and higher costs this year, following a decision by a sharply divided Chilmark board of selectmen to require them to carry a $1 million liability insurance policy that names the town in the event of a claim.

The new rule will apply to about a dozen commercial fishermen who lease the harborfront shacks that are the heart of the picturesque working Menemsha waterfront that has long been an attraction for tourists, photographers and artists. The fishermen use the shacks for storing lobster and fish pots and other tools of their trade.

The vote on Tuesday night did not come without an internal struggle, as selectman Warren Doty was a vocal opponent of the idea. Mr. Doty is a leading advocate for the fishermen.

The discussion took place in a joint meeting between the selectmen and the Chilmark department of parks and recreation Tuesday night.

“I think this is talking about a problem that we don’t have. We haven’t had any incidents,” Mr. Doty said. But selectman Frank M. Fenner Jr. said the new policy rule is in the best interest of the town, despite the fact that Chilmark already has its own liability insurance coverage. “If someone gets hurt, I don’t think it should be all on the town’s nickel. I think that it’s irresponsible, as a selectman, to say that we’re not trying to protect the people of the town,” he said.

Mr. Fenner said town insurance costs are up by roughly $150,000 this year. “That’s because people have made claims against us,” he said.

But Mr. Doty said the spike in claims had nothing to do with Menemsha harbor. “The reason that our insurance policies are up is because of automobile accidents. They’re not accidents that relate to the harbor, and they’re not accidents that relate to these docks. I don’t think we have exposure, and I don’t think that we should increase the cost to everybody,” he said.

The new rule means Menemsha leaseholders must pay for a rider to their existing insurance policies that protects the town in the event that someone makes a claim against them. Mr. Fenner said it is assumed that leaseholders already have liability insurance policies in place; he said the cost of the rider would vary based on different policies.

“Whether it’s $100 or $200 or $500, I think it’s only the right thing for us to do,” Mr. Fenner said.

But parks and recreation committee members sided with Mr. Doty, saying that the new requirements would place an unnecessary burden on Menemsha fishermen. “The whole point of the last five or six years of effort that parks and rec and the selectmen have been making is to try and get fishermen back to work and back to making a living in Menemsha,” said committee member Jane Slater. “It seems to me it’s a lot cheaper for the town to cover the insurance than it is for individuals to be responsible for several hundred dollars. Insurance is cheap to big organizations like a town, and it’s expensive to individuals who aren’t making that much.”

Committee chairman Andrew Goldman said he did not object to protection for the town, but he agreed Menemsha fishermen should not have to absorb the cost. “The town has a master plan that calls for the protection of Menemsha,” he said. “To impose a new requirement if the town already has the service, I don’t see as advancing the cause of the commercial fisherman in Menemsha.”

Menemsha fisherman John Armstrong said flatly that extra insurance is out of reach for most of the fishermen. “I think all the other commercial fishermen that are leaseholders will agree with me and say that that would be an expense that none of us can afford right now, we just can’t afford that extra payment,” he said. “We’d be against it.”

Selectmen voted two to one to adopt the requirement. Mr. Doty voted no.

Also discussed was the possibility of increasing the rent on bulkhead and creek lots in Menemsha. Mr. Fenner spoke in favor of the increases. “I believe that it’s just not right that we’re leasing lots to commercial retail businesses and charging them a third of what a small slip across the harbor pays for the course of a season. One of those over on the filled dock that faces the bulkhead, you pay $3,000 for a slip to put your boat in for the season. You pay about $1,000 across there for a piece of property to run a retail business on. I think that’s wrong. I think that at a minimum they should be at least $3,000,” he said.

In the end the selectmen decided against the increase based on an agreement they made last year to follow a three-year schedule of increasing rent by 20 per cent per year.

“We made a commitment to a three-year program . . . and I think we ought to see it through,” said selectman and board chairman J.B. Riggs Parker.

The selectmen also discussed a tentative schedule for planning the use of Tea Lane Farm, which belonged to the late Robert J. Silva, who died earlier this month. The town of Chilmark and the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank commission jointly purchased the property in June of 2001 in a life estate transaction. Mr. Silva retained the right to stay on the property until his death.

Land bank executive director James Lengyel said this week that the town owns the three acres around the homestead, while the land bank owns the 50 surrounding acres. A farm committee will be appointed, made up of three town residents and two members from the land bank town advisory board. The committee will draft a farm plan in which the property is divided into two separate areas; an active agricultural area and a general conservation area. The plan will also determine a process for choosing a farmer to lease the agricultural portion of the land to be used as a working farm.

Mr. Silva’s niece, Melinda Defeo, attended the meeting to announce her interest in being involved with the plan. “[I] would love to be that tenant farmer,” said Ms. Defeo, who is active in local agriculture and a founding member of Island Grown Initiative. “I bring a unique perspective to the situation, as far as it’s my family. I would like to see a plan that is very well thought out so that there would be a sustainable project going on for the long term,” she said.

The town will hold a community brainstorming session for possible future uses of the farm on March 17. “This is a great opportunity, and it requires some real work,” said Mr. Doty.

Selectmen also talked about repairing the harbor master shack and an attached shed in Menemsha, including the possibility of replacing the building altogether. “The shack down there is definitely in need of repairs and in looking at it you wonder if it isn’t the tip of an iceberg,” said Mr. Fenner. “For the services they give down there, the building is not quite adequate.” He said he had looked into the cost of replacing the shack with a slightly larger structure, and estimated the project to total between $25,000 and $30,000.

Mr. Parker agreed that the building needs work, and thought replacement might be the best option. “I’d be happy to see us make a decision now to do it, and set about planning it,” he said, adding that it was too late in the season to complete the project by spring, so construction should be deferred until the fall.

Once again, Mr. Doty spoke up to object. “I think it’s an attractive little building as it is. It’s a charming part of Menemsha.” He said increasing the size of the building would change the nature of the area.

The board agreed to consider the options and try to reach a decision by their next meeting on March 2.

In other business, selectmen:

• Approved a reverse 911 system called Code Red that will alert town residents in the event of an emergency. The service can also be used to relay information to townspeople in non-emergency situations.

• Appointed housing committee administrative assistant Todd Christy as the Chilmark representative to the Dukes County Regional Housing Authority.

• Appointed Allen Healy as an at-large member of the town community preservation committee.