Tisbury and Oak Bluffs are nearing agreement on sharing a building commissioner who would cover both towns.

Town administrators for the two towns presented a draft inter-municipal agreement at a joint meeting of the selectmen from both towns held in Oak Bluffs Tuesday.

The draft agreement would run from July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2021, and could be extended by agreement of both towns. Either town could terminate the agreement by giving the other town notice by Feb. 15 prior to the start of a new fiscal year.

The preliminary agreement does not set out which town would take the lead, and it does not specify a salary for a two-town building commissioner. It does spell out that both towns would share equally in the cost of salary and benefits.

“We’ll be working over the next several weeks to get a final one in place,” Oak Bluffs town administrator Bob Whritenour said of the agreement.

Selectmen in the neighboring towns have been holding regular joint meetings since the fall to discuss shared areas of government collaboration.

Building inspector services is one of them.

On Tuesday selectmen also discussed assessments for regional human services and education, including the various formulas based on population and property valuation used to divide costs among the six towns. Mr. Whritenour was critical of the formula used to determine the share of costs for the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School.

“The numbers show some of the problems we have with the formula,” Mr. Whritenour said. “In the next year, the towns of Oak Bluffs and Tisbury comprise 27 and 27 per cent, That’s 54 per cent of the regional high school budget paid for by these two towns. It’s driven entirely, only by the enrollment in the school, in the October preceding the school year.”

Oak Bluffs selectman Greg Coogan said convincing other towns to change funding formulas that may favor them will be a difficult process.

“We’ve got to think of ways to get the other towns’ attention,” Mr. Coogan said. “I think that may be a little uncomfortable for awhile, because I don’t think anyone is paying attention to our plight at this point. That’s why I think as two towns we have to stand together at some point and say no, and that’s going to be very uncomfortable.”

In other Oak Bluffs business, harbor master Todd Alexander briefed selectmen on a project to replace the harbor master’s shack over the winter. The $212,000 project will involve demolishing the old shack, driving new pilings and building a deck over the water. The new shack will be constructed on shore, then moved into place. Mr. Alexander said construction will require the use of six parking spots directly behind the harbor master’s facility. Construction is scheduled to begin in mid-January and be complete in about four weeks.

Selectmen also agreed to allow Northcott and Vought Construction to use a town parking space directly in front of the Nashua House through the end of January, to accommodate a renovation of the building.

The board also:

• Approved a special permit for a home business for electrical contractor Hunter Denman at 500 County Road, on the condition that he install screening to block sight of business equipment.

• Appointed Llewellyn Rogers to the town zoning board of appeals.

• Set a meeting date for Tuesday, Dec. 18, to discuss the next steps for the town hall project which was defeated in a special town election on Nov. 15.