When they gather next week for annual and special town meetings, Oak Bluffs voters will decide on a range of issues including the fiercely-debated housing bank, a feasibility study for repair or replacement of the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, preservation of the East Chop Lighthouse, and money to study possible predators for a toxic jellyfish.
The meetings begin Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the high school Performing Arts Center. There are 32 articles on the annual town meeting warrant and three on the special town meeting warrant.
Moderator Jesse (Jack) Law 3rd will preside.
The annual town election is two days later with only one contest on the ballot.
At town meeting, voters will take up a $30.9 million operating budget, a 1.9 per cent increase over last year.
The increases are driven mostly by rising school costs, town administrator Bob Whritenour said.
Costs for the Oak Bluffs School will go up 4.1 per cent, from $8.06 million to $8.38 million.
“That is a strategic move we’ve made in conjunction with the school to acknowledge the growth at the Oak Bluffs elementary school level, and to try to work with them over multi-year period to increase the resources they have at that school,” Mr. Whritenour said.
The town’s share of educating students at the regional high school increased 1.6 per cent, from $5.03 million to $5.11 million.
A separate article to fund the town’s share of a feasibility study to repair or rebuild the regional high school is expected to spark debate. The school district wants approval to transfer $316,268 from its reserve fund, and the article also asks voters to appropriate $292,723 for the town’s share of the study. The total cost of the study is $1.4 million.
The fire department budget will also go from $368,400 to $400,206, an increase of 8.6 per cent.
The last two articles on the warrant seek approval for a home rule petition to establish an Islandwide housing bank, modeled after the land bank. The petitioned articles were authored by a grass roots political group called Housing Bank MV, which has sponsored forums and been actively promoting the initiative.
The housing bank proposal has already generated widespread debate on the Island. The Oak Bluffs selectmen and finance committee oppose it.
“The committee is not rejecting the need for housing,” the financial advisory committee wrote in a note that appears on the warrant accompanying the articles. “The formation of a housing bank should be done in concert with the towns and not just by an independent group presenting a warrant article to the towns.”
Voters will be asked to borrow $160,000 for harbor and shoreline improvements, including $110,000 for design and repair of the harbor jetties, and $50,000 for permitting, design, and repair of the East Chop landing wall.
The town Community Preservation Committee has a list of projects to present to town voters. Among them is $198,000 to be used by the Martha’s Vineyard Museum for rehabilitation of East Chop Lighthouse.
Voters will also be asked to spend $100,000 in Community Preservation Act funds for the town’s share of the cost to build new rental units for elderly residents at the Aidylberg housing complex off Wing Road.
Another $200,000 would be added to $250,000 appropriated at the 2018 annual town meeting to reconstruct basketball and tennis courts at the Oak Bluffs School.
And $200,000 would be added to $600,000 approved at the 2018 meeting for a project to restore Sunset Lake and Lakeside Park for active and passive recreation.
Finally, the committee recommends the town pay for a study to identify fish predators and prey that many be introduced to control small toxic stinging jellyfish which inhabit Farm Pond.
Gail Barmakian, chairman of the selectmen, encouraged voters to make their voice heard on Tuesday.
“A town meeting form of government is the most direct input that a community has to have a say in town issues,” she said.
The annual town election is Thursday, April 11. Polls will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the town library.
There is only one contest: a race for three-year seat on the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission. Longtime incumbent Priscilla Sylvia faces a challenge from Kristen Reimann.
Ms. Barmakian is running unopposed for a third three-year term as selectman.
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