Four of the six Island towns will take the first steps next week in deciding the pivotal question of whether to ask the state legislature to allow creation of a Martha’s Vineyard Housing Bank.

The proposed housing bank bill replaces the direct democracy of town meeting with a central committee, consisting of seven commissioners, one elected from each town, and a seventh commissioner elected Islandwide.

There’s plenty of talk these days about the proposed Martha’s Vineyard Housing Bank. There’s plenty of talk about the state of the Vineyard, too.

The pivotal question of whether to create a Martha’s Vineyard housing bank is on the table as annual town meetings and elections draw near.

An article to create a Martha’s Vineyard housing bank will go on the town meeting warrant with a negative recommendation from the Edgartown finance committee, after a unanimous vote.

The much-debated article to create a Martha’s Vineyard Housing Bank will go on the annual town meeting warrant Oak Bluffs, after a unanimous vote by the select board Tuesday night.

As proponents of a Martha’s Vineyard housing bank seek support for an Island-specific initiative, Nantucket has been working to pass some kind of housing bank legislation since 2016, with the latest version currently stalled on Beacon Hill.

A proposal to create a Martha’s Vineyard housing bank appears to be headed to voters in the spring after the Edgartown and West Tisbury select boards agreed this week to put a revised version of the article on their annual town meeting warrants.

Following on the heels of Edgartown’s 2-1 vote Tuesday, the two-member West Tisbury select board agreed Wednesday to place the revised Islandwide housing bank article on this year’s annual town meeting warrant.

Capping weeks of debate, the Edgartown select board voted 2-1 Tuesday to place a revised housing bank article on the warrant for the April annual town meeting.