Tisbury voters wrapped up special town meeting Tuesday night, but not the annual meeting that followed.
Issues still to be addressed include a $23,186,156 operating budget for fiscal year 2015 (FY15), capital appropriations and new equipment, embarkation fund expenditures, and Community Preservation Act projects.
A total of 183 voters, 83 more than needed for a quorum, turned out to take action on a total of 57 articles on the special and annual town meeting warrants. Town meeting moderator Deborah Medders asked them to return Wednesday night at 7 pm to take up 21 articles left on the annual town meeting warrant.
Voters worked their way through the 22 articles on the special town warrant in a marathon session that lasted about two hours. They kept the momentum going as they tackled several lengthy zoning bylaw changes, as well as a proposal by the Martha’s Vineyard Commission to create an Island-wide district of critical planning concern to regulate fertilizer use.
The voters agreed with all but two of the zoning bylaw changes. They rejected an article that would amend deep lot provisions and tabled another that would restrict accessory structures for property owners in the R-3A district. The vote was unanimous to approve the fertilizer article.
At the conclusion of special town meeting at 9:03 pm, Ms. Medders gave voters a five-minute recess before they went to work on the annual meeting’s 35 articles.
Among the 14 articles voters took action on, they agreed to allow the town to borrow $125,000 for an automated parking fee system at the Park and Ride lot, and approved $60,000 to fund improvements at the Spring Street parking lot and $8,000 for repairs to the chimney and roof of the Tisbury Senior Center.
At 10:05 pm, Ms. Medders asked voters if they would like to recess the meeting until Wednesday night and called for a standing vote. The motion was approved by the weary, 88 to 45.
The 183 meeting attendees represented about 5.7 percent of the town’s 3,207 registered voters.
