Edgartown selectmen unanimously approved all 96 articles on the warrant for special and annual town meetings at their regular meeting on Monday. The only article discussed was the bylaw written by the student group Plastic Free MV, which would ban the sale of single use plastic bottles. It was adopted by up-Island towns last year and is currently on the warrant for all down-Island towns this spring.
Julia Celeste Tarka, a member of the Edgartown Board of Trade, clarified the position of the board of trade as it weighed the possible effects on local businesses with environmentalism, she said.
“Our membership is split,” Ms. Tarka said. “We want to make sure the selectmen weren’t acting on a recommendation that was not given.”
She asked if it was possible to make changes to the bylaw, though she did not say what those changes would be.
Selectmen said that it was too late to make changes, as they were approving the warrant that day, but added that voters can make changes to the article on town meeting floor.
“You should speak up at town meeting,” said selectman Michael Donaroma. “That’s all I got.”
“This one is done, sealed and being voted today . . . there’s no way we can change that,” selectman Arthur Smadbeck added.
In other business, selectmen appointed seven Chappaquiddick residents and three ex officio members to the recently formed Chappy Ferry steering committee.
The proposal to create a steering committee came to the forefront last month, when a crowd of Chappaquiddick residents attended an Edgartown selectmen meeting to voice their frustrations with the ferry service, including recent rate hikes for year-round residents. In response, selectmen suggested forming a committee of stakeholders to take part in the decision making process.
The town licenses the ferry service to co-owner Peter Wells. Town selectmen have control over maximum rates the ferry can charge, but Mr. Wells is responsible for determining the discounted rate for year-round Chappaquiddick residents.
Selectmen appointed Chappaquiddick residents Rick Biros, Bill Brine, John Dropick, Dick Knight, Rich Shifter, Dana Strayton, Tom Tilghman and Peter Getsinger to the steering committee. Ex officio members appointed include Mr. Wells, co-owner Sally Snipes and town administrator James Hagerty.
“Based on the applications, I thought this would holistically represent Chappy,” Mr. Hagerty said at the meeting.
“We have a committee,” Mr. Donaroma added.
Mr. Hagerty said that the role of the committee will be hashed out at their first scheduled meeting. Meanwhile, Mr. Hagerty is still in discussion with a special attorney to determine the legal boundaries of the committee’s bargaining power and the extent of their authority.
Also at the meeting, selectmen approved the second annual Chappy Point to Point race and reappointed selectman Arthur Smadbeck to the Healthy Aging MV Advisory Council.
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