Chilmark voters made speedy work of their annual town meeting on Monday night at the Chilmark Community Center, approving an overhaul of the town personnel bylaw, a new set of rules for swimming pools and tennis courts and a $7 million budget in two hours flat.
A total of 107 voters attended; longtime moderator Everett Poole presided over the session.
The budget, up $238,000 over last year, includes a 2.6 per cent cost of living increase for town employees, the highest on the Island. Chilmark town employees received no increase last year.
Former town treasurer Judy Jardin called for a more clear explanation of the budget process.
“I’m concerned that we’re getting less and less information about what goes into the preparation of the budget,” Mrs. Jardin said. “I think we’re way out of line here in what we’re doing, I think it’s really not reality and I think we ought to get back to bringing information to town meeting and letting voters decide what we’re going to do.”
Chilmark selectman and board chairman Warren Doty responded. “We felt that because we had zero per cent last year, 2.6 per cent was an appropriate amount this year,” he said.
And the budget passed unanimously.
The main debate of the night focused on two town bylaw amendments. The amended swimming pool and tennis court bylaw requires pools to be in a direct line of sight from the principal dwelling and encourages energy efficient systems for heated pools. The bylaw was redone at the request of the zoning board of appeals.
One voter questioned a provision that allows firefighters to drain the pool in case of an emergency. Jay Lagemann suggested that the town not require standpipes for emergency pool drainage but recommend them instead, calling the measure absurd. Another voter questioned the requirement for having the pool in the line of sight of the principal dwelling, saying that he lived in a furnished barn and rented out the main house.
But zoning board of appeals member Frank LoRusso said the changes are intended to make the bylaw enforceable and protect public safety.
“We as a board felt it was safer that the pool can be seen from someplace in the house. Often the case is it might be a neighbor’s child who gained access to your pool,” Mr. LoRusso said. “There have been instances where we allowed a pool not within eyesight of a main house. The [board] has a heart.”
Voters approved the bylaw change.
Voters then took up the issue of amendments to the town personnel bylaw. Among other things, the new bylaw creates a procedures manual that allows the personnel board to change rules, including pay grades, without town meeting approval. It also details workplace conduct, allows a rollover system of accrued vacation days and renames the town board the human resources board.
Mrs. Jardin again called for more transparency in the town hiring and pay grade classification process, and questioned if voters were relinquishing their right to have a final say on the town meeting floor.
Personnel board chairman Jennie Greene and town executive secretary Tim Carroll said the board already has the authority to make changes to employee classifications.
Selectman Frank Fenner urged voters to approve a bylaw that has been some six years in the making.
“This is a vast improvement over what we have now and I’d encourage you to support the efforts to produce this,” Mr. Fenner said. The bylaw passed unanimously.
Voters approved a series of spending articles with little discussion, including $10,000 to fund new metal beach stairs at Squibnocket, $30,000 to rebuild the town dock at Hariph’s Creek and $20,000 to restore historic stone walls in town.
When asked if the fire station would have to be refitted to accommodate a new $220,000 tanker, fire chief David Norton said the reason for the high price tag was actually to the contrary: The department must order customized trucks to fit into the small station on the Menemsha Crossroad. Voters also approved $32,165 for a new police cruiser and $17,500 for a portable computer and three stair-chair stretchers for the Tri-Town ambulance service.
A request to spend $150,000 in Community Preservation Act funds for Tea Lane farmhouse restoration was postponed pending more work on the plan.
Committee preservation committee member Jane Slater asked for two other articles to be postponed indefinitely — funding for the Chilmark share of an Islandwide funding campaign for the Martha’s Vineyard Museum and the restoration of the Noman’s Land boat, which is owned by the museum as well.
Two days after the meeting, voters returned to the Chilmark Community Center for the annual town election where Mr. Doty was re-elected for another three-year term without contest, receiving 116 votes. Only 155 voters came out to the polls, a 17 per cent turnout. There are 874 registered voters in Chilmark.
Also elected without contest were: Elizabeth Oliver, board of assessors, 140; Michael A. Renahan, board of health, 121; Marshall E. Caroll 3rd, finance advisory committee, 145; Bruce Golden, finance advisory committee, 114; Janet Weidner, library trustee, 139; Wesley Cottle, cemetery commissioner, 132; Keith Emin, surveyor of wood, lumber and bark, 6; Nathaniel Allen-Posin, fence viewer, 133; Mitchell Posin, planning board, 119; Catherine A. Thompson, planning board, 122; Keith L. Emin, tree warden, 144.
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