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The
Martha's Vineyard Times is a weekly publication.
March 31 - April 6, 2005 Edition
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Oak
Bluffs voters face 22 articles, $19.5 million budget at annual meeting March 31, 2005 By Ezra Blair Oak Bluffs voters will gather April 12 to take action on an annual town meeting warrant that includes a balanced budget, spending on capital improvements, a list of proposed zoning bylaw changes, and affordable housing initiatives. Voters will take up the 22-article town meeting warrant at 7 pm at the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School Performing Arts Center. Two days later, on April 14, Oak Bluffs voters will head to the polls located at the Oak Bluffs School to elect town officers and take action on three ballot questions. Oak Bluffs officials avoided a Proposition 2.5 override for the third year in a row, so voters will not have to tackle any spending requests on the ballot. Two of the three ballot questions address the goal of creating and financing affordable housing on the Island. Question one, a non-binding resolution, asks voters if they would be in favor of the creation of an Island housing bank that could serve as a funding agency to assist in the creation of affordable housing. Money would come from a one percent fee assessed on the seller of any real estate transaction exceeding $750,000. Question two asks voters to approve the terms of the Community Preservation Act (CPA). The CPA is a state program designed to raise money for affordable housing, preservation of open space, and historic preservation. Towns in the program adopt a three-percent surcharge on real estate taxes, which the state will match 100 percent. The first $100,000 of property value is exempted, and there are other exemptions based on income. A CPA committee in each town decides how the money will be spent, but at least 10 percent must be spent on each category. Chilmark and Aquinnah have already adopted the CPA. The third ballot question asks voters whether or not they want the town to have its tax collector and collector of accounts become appointed positions. Voters initially approved the measure at the annual town meeting last year, but the measure requires ballot approval to go into effect. Another balanced budget The town operating budget, which voters will be asked to approve in article three on the annual town meeting warrant, will rise from $18,486,521 to $19,569,800 in fiscal year 2006, which begins July 1, 2005, an increase of 5.9 percent. The Oak Bluffs library budget line item is one of the largest increases in 2006. Total expenses for the library would rise from $221,204 to $323,581, or 46 percent. The hefty increase is due primarily to the new library that the town is currently building next to the town hall, and the extra staffing that the facility will require. The town's ambulance service is another big mover in the 2006 budget. The total budget for the ambulance service will rise 33 percent, from $201,801 to $267,968. Town officials said that the extra costs were anticipated now that the town has increased its emergency service rating to include paramedic service. The budgets for other town departments rise modestly in the proposed budget. Among the most costly line items, the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School assessment will go up nearly 8 percent, to $2,766,467; the police budget will rise by 7 percent, to $1,357,881; the fire department budget will increase 3 percent, to $148,263; and the highway department will move up less than 1 percent, to $1,437,866. Fixed costs, which include insurance, social security, and employee pensions, takes a significant bite out of the annual operating budget. In 2006, fixed costs will rise 7 percent, from $2,119,881 to $2,276,795. Another big-ticket department, which also generates revenue for the town, is the water department. Its budget will rise by nearly 15 percent, from $503,682 to $577,593. Assorted articles Along with the budget, voters will be asked to approve a number of spending items at the annual town meeting. Among the largest items, article eight asks voters to allow the town to borrow $225,000 for the architectural design, cost estimating, and construction documents related to the construction of a new Oak Bluffs town hall. According to the warrant, debt payments are estimated to be $10,000 in fiscal year 2007, and $55,000 per year from 2008 through 2011. Article four asks voters to transfer $94,000 from the town's ferry fee account for a number of items, including: o $42,000 for extra summer staffing for the police department. o $15,000 for repairs and equipment at the town marina. o $10,000 for the highway department for “beautification” and maintenance and repairs to the town bathrooms. o $25,000 for the ambulance department for training. o $2,000 for radio equipment for the civil defense and emergency management department. The money in the ferry fee account is the result of legislation signed into law in September 2003, which added a 50-cent fee on each one-way passenger ticket, payable to the town where the trip originated. The law requires that ferry fees be deposited in a special fund, “to be solely appropriated for the purpose of mitigating the impacts of ferry service on the city or town. Monies deposited may be appropriated for services including, but not limited to, providing harbor services, public safety protection, emergency services or infrastructure improvements within and around the harbor of any city or town which receives monies from this section.” Article nine would provide up to $60,680 per year for the town's share of a two-year pilot program offered by the Vineyard Transit Authority to provide extended fixed route bus service, para-transit service (for disabled citizens), and year-round transportation for the Seniors' Day Program. Article five asks voters to transfer $29,500 from the town's free cash reserves to pay for Oak Bluffs's share to participate in the Massachusetts Estuaries Project. The money will be used to pay for the study of nutrient loading and the environmental health of Sengekontacket Pond. The measure requires passage by both Edgartown and Oak Bluffs town meetings to be implemented. In other free cash spending, article six asks for $5,000 to dredge the channel into Sengekontacket Pond that runs under “the little bridge” on Beach Road. According to the warrant, the work is needed to improve the flushing of the pond, which contributes to the health of shellfish and other aquatic life. Among the non-spending items, article 11 asks voters to allow the town to pay town clerks, collectors, and treasurers extra compensation if they complete necessary training and certification. Massachusetts law allows for certain town employees to receive additional compensation if they complete training and receive certification from state-accredited professional organizations. According to the warrant, if the measure passes it would not impact the 2006 budget. Voters will take up a number of proposed zoning bylaw changes at the annual town meeting, including the expansion of the Cottage City Historic District. Article 12 would add the area known as the North Bluff to the district. The Oak Bluffs planning board has several proposed bylaw changes on the annual town meeting. Article 17 would redefine the regulations for nonconforming uses and structures in town. The new changes would replace the previous bylaw, and would set guidelines for how the town must issue permits for structures or uses that do not conform to current regulations. The Oak Bluffs harbormaster has also proposed a new bylaw. Article 14 asks voters to approve a regulation that would limit the engine noise in motorboats to 88 decibels. The bylaw defines a clear procedure to measure the volume of a boat's engine noise, and establishes a set of non-criminal penalties for violations. Violators of the noise bylaw would be fined $100 for their first offense, $200 for their second offense, and $300 for their third offense, within a 12-month period. Oak Bluffs voters will tackle renewable energy in article 19, a non-binding resolution that asks the town to support and encourage clean energy initiatives. Article 21, submitted by petition, asks voters to rescind a vote taken in December 2003, which authorized the selectmen to lease the old town hall for more than 10 years. Under state law, public property cannot be leased for more than a decade without a special act of the state legislature. See Oak Bluffs Warrant |
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