With an override looming for the first time in 14 years, voters in West Tisbury will likely have one eye on the issues of the day and another on their wallets when the annual town meeting convenes next week.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the West Tisbury School gymnasium. There are 56 articles on the warrant. Moderator Dan Waters will preside. The town election is Thursday, April 12. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the town public safety building. There are no contests on the ballot, but the $400,000 general override question is expected to draw a turnout.

The need for the first Proposition 2 1/2 override since 2004 prompted formal public statements from both the selectmen and the town finance committee this week.

“West Tisbury’s override question this year is not due to one or more new large requests for funding but rather to a cumulative effect that has built over time,” selectman and board chairman Jeffrey (Skipper) Manter wrote in an op-ed on behalf of his board and other town leaders.

“Town meeting decisions have long-term consequences as well as short term,” wrote finance committtee chairman Gary Montrowl in a separate op-ed. “For every additional employee, building, vehicle or other equipment, there are attendant long-term insurance, maintenance and replacement costs that are not reflected in the warrant articles being voted upon, but become a permanent part of the budget for every year thereafter. If we are to avoid another override in subsequent years, we must carefully consider these consequences when casting our votes at this year’s and future town meetings.”

The annual town budget that will go before voters totals about $18.9 million, up from $18.4 million last year. Voters will also be asked to approve more than $560,000 in individual spending warrant articles. Last year the town approved about $66,000 in warrant articles. The budget has been endorsed by the finance committee 4 to 1.

Selectman Cynthia Mitchell said while the override question prepares for the largest possible appropriation, town leadership isn’t assuming all the spending warrant articles will pass.

“As always, we encourage thoughtful consideration and debate, and fully expect that some requests may be appropriately turned down,” she said in an email.

If all proposed spending warrant articles pass next week, West Tisbury is looking at a tax increase of about 5.8 per cent, according to town accountant Bruce Stone. In the event that not all the spending articles pass, West Tisbury taxpayers will only see a tax increase corresponding to the budget and warrant articles they approve. Approving the $400,000 override, however, would still raise the ceiling on tax rates, meaning the town would have more budget flexibility in the coming years without having to return to voters with another override question.

Town leaders decided not to tie the $400,000 override request to specific warrant articles or to a specific department, opting instead for a general override to Proposition 2 1/2, the state-mandated tax cap.

In discussion on the issue, selectmen cited responsible budgeting in town departments as well as consensus and general approval from the finance committee as reasons for presenting a general override.

In his op-ed, Mr. Manter points to population increases in the town since the last override, leading to increased need for town services, as a reason for budget growth. He also outlines increases related to post-employment health insurance benefits for retired workers and residual costs from updating the town library, town hall and police station.

If the override fails, the town will have to either reassess the budget and make cuts, or hold a special town meeting to ask the voters again for an adjusted amount.

“We would either have to cut the budget by $400,000, or voters would have to change their minds at another meeting before the start of the new fiscal year on July 1,” town administrator Jennifer Rand said.

Affordable housing is a prominent theme on the warrant this year, with seven separate articles relating to affordable housing or housing assistance. Two ask the town to consider reserving plots of land for housing. One property is known as the Silva lot, located on State Road across from Island Gymnastics. Another is on Old Courthouse Road and is currently home to the old firehouse that once served as the town hall. Last month, the town got permission from the Martha’s Vineyard Commission to move or demolish the historic building in order to provide housing.

Voters will also be asked to designate some $529,000 in Community Preservation Act funds for various affordable housing projects and rental assistance. A contribution of $100,000 is requested for the Island Housing Trust’s project on Greenwood avenue in Tisbury; in return the town will receive preference for one West Tisbury resident in one of the affordable homes. Another article seeks to set aside $250,000 in CPA funds for an affordable housing emergency reserve to save homes from foreclosure, plus another $50,000 for affordable housing planning. Another article requests $49,000 in CPC funds to pay off a portion of the ongoing Scott’s Grove affordable housing project approved at last year’s town meeting.

School spending accounts for the largest portion of the town budget. The town is being asked to pay about $7.6 million for its share of the up-Island regional school district budget and about $2.8 million for its share of the regional high school budget. Schools also appear in warrant articles with requests to fund part of an updated fire alarm system in the West Tisbury School (about $17,000) and a portion of the cost to upgrade the Chilmark School’s heating and air conditioning system (about $23,000).

Voters will also be asked to contribute $12,590 to ACE MV, the Islandwide adult education program.

They will also decide whether to allow the town to consolidate the elected tax collector and the appointed treasurer positions into one appointed treasurer/collector position. The consolidation has been discussed for some time in the town, and the opportunity to do so has recently presented itself with the retirement of the current tax collector, Brent Taylor this summer. The town will also be asked to fund the tax collector salary in a separate article as a contingency in case the measure to consolidate the positions does not pass.

If the change is approved, the town intends to add an assistant part time treasurer/collector budgeted for 30 hours per week. The end result would be a savings of nearly $50,000 from the current year’s budget, Mr. Stone said.

Recreational marijuana businesses can open their doors in Massachusetts on July 1. The change is reflected on the West Tisbury warrant with an amendment to zoning bylaws to include recreational marijuana businesses. Another article requires marijuana cultivation facilities to comply with National Fire Protection Association guidelines.

Another zoning bylaw amendment is aimed at reducing noise from electrical generators, requiring that they be surrounded by vegetation or a fence.

Also requested are updates to emergency vehicles with one article asking for a new four-wheel drive police cruiser ($44,215) and another for a new fire vehicle ($60,000).

The finance committee voted to support most articles on the warrant, but did not recommend the article to create a high school stabilization fund. That article is being voted on in all six Island towns. Committee chairman Gary Montrowl said the fund, which would establish a mechanism for saving for improvements to high school facilities, lacked oversight.

The finance committee also declined to back a request for $27,000 to study speed limits on West Tisbury roadways. But voters could decide otherwise.