A townwide moratorium on wind turbines and a complicated question centering on the long-term impacts of affordable housing rules occupied much of the night when Chilmark voters gathered at their town community center on Monday for back-to-back town meetings, one special and one annual.

And while the annual town meeting warrant was a relatively straightforward affair, by contrast, a short, two-article special town meeting that kicked off the evening sparked wide-ranging discussion and debate.

Voters — the total turnout was 176 — were sharply divided on both articles.

First up was a proposed amendment to town zoning bylaws that would impose a yearlong moratorium on special permits to build wind turbines, with the stated intention of giving the planning board time to develop new regulations.

Voter Chris Murphy said he felt the moratorium was unnecessary. “I’m all in favor of rewriting the bylaw, but this idea of requiring a moratorium just seems to me to be over the top. It’s unlikely that anybody is going to get a permit to build any kind of wind structure in the current [situation]. I think that declaring a moratorium is essentially a vote against all windmills, period . . . I don’t think that’s necessary at this point,” he said.

Others voiced their support of the moratorium, which they claimed would buy some time for the town to form a comprehensive plan on the development of wind turbines.

Planning board chairman Janet Weidner said the idea has been in the works for nearly two years, and that the moratorium would give the board time to “tighten up the bylaw and address a couple of issues.”

She said in those two years the planning board has held hearings and investigated how other Island towns have handled wind turbine rules, in particular abutter issues. “We really have tried to do all of our homework,” she said. “We still feel there’s more work to be done.” She also said if it takes less than a year to develop the regulations, the board could always come back to a special town meeting and end the moratorium.

But the planning board was as sharply divided on the issue as town voters. “I don’t need a year,” said board member William Meegan. “We can get this thing banged out really quick. We don’t need a moratorium.”

Board member Tim Lasker agreed. “I’m against the moratorium because I believe less is more in this situation. By giving the planning board more time I don’t think it means that we’ll get the job done quicker.” Mr. Lasker also said the moratorium could harm the town in the long run. “The town has to realize that wind technology is at an infant stage of development. There are going to be new technologies coming down the road at a very rapid pace. The sustainability issue is not going to disappear. The carbon footprint issue is not going to disappear. The moratorium is only going to placate the issue and we really need to confront it right here and now,” he said

Town voters agreed and the moratorium failed 77 to 71.

Another zoning bylaw amendment centering on affordability requirements for the heirs of affordable housing recipients was just as lengthy, and just as divisive.

Selectman Frank M. Fenner Jr. spoke in support of the article, which would allow spouses and children of affordable home owners to remain in the homes if the owner dies, even if they do not meet affordable income requirements.

Mr. Fenner said that the amendment would protect Chilmark families. “What makes Chilmark a beautiful place and a beautiful town are the families. I do not want to see affordable housing make a transient situation,” he said.

Voter Judith Jardin disagreed, warning the town to keep emotion out of the decision and focus on the idea of keeping the homesites perpetually affordable. “I think what we’re doing here is tugging at people’s heartstrings,” she said. “If you allow . . . spouses and children to inherit these without meeting the guidelines, it’s going to keep happening and that lot is going to be forever out of the affordable housing pool.”

But Mr. Murphy asked voters to consider what is most important to the town. “It comes down to, do we have lots, or do we have our children?” he said. “I look at this as giving a scholarship to a young person that puts them on par with everyone else that lives here. We look at it as we’re doing them a favor. But in truth, it’s both ways . . . Saying ‘When your time runs out, you just have to leave,’ is just not the answer.”

In the end the article was defeated when it failed to garner a two-thirds majority; the final vote was 83 to 71.

Moderator Everett H. Pool then gaveled the annual town meeting to order. It began with a moment of thanks to outgoing selectman and board chairman J.B. Riggs Parker.

“Riggs has been a very hardworking selectman. He’s given us excellent public service for these six years,” said fellow board member Warren Doty, who presented Mr. Parker with a certificate of appreciation from the town. “We’re sad to see his tenure end,” said Mr. Doty.

Voters moved quickly through a 29-article warrant, approving a $6.8 million operating budget for the coming fiscal year, as well as $35,000 for West Tisbury School repairs, $35,000 to be used toward a replacement fire engine, $27,000 to purchase a new police cruiser, and $30,000 to cover the cost of bonding for the Middle Line Road affordable housing rental duplexes. Voters also agreed to pay their share for the county-wide Vineyard health care access program, and the county pest control program.

The town also voted to establish a town affordable housing trust named for the late Molly Flender, a pioneer in the Chilmark affordable housing effort before her death in 2005. Again, Mr. Murphy spoke up, saying that the language of the trust would allow town officials to borrow money without voter approval. “Every other town board has to come to a town meeting to borrow money in the name of the town,” he said, adding that the selectmen should be obligated to do the same in regard to the trust. Voters agreed to amend the trust article to remove power from the selectmen to approve any spending or borrowing for the trust without town meeting approval.

Voters also approved spending Community Preservation Act money in the following amounts:

• $30,000 to restore historic stone walls along public roads;

• $55,000 to fund the town’s year-round rental conversion program;

• $5,500 to fund Chilmark’s share of an Islandwide project to replace windows in the Dukes County Courthouse building.

Other approved spending articles included:

• $2,500 for an oyster reef project in Tisbury Great Pond;

• $10,000 to replace the outboard motor of the shellfish department boat;

• $3,500 for training and equipment for members of the regional emergency response team;

• $4,000 for a path-enhancement plan at the town center.