West Tisbury voters will need to consider some big-ticket items during the upcoming annual town meeting on the 49-article warrant. The annual town meeting will be held at West Tisbury School on Tuesday, April 11, at 6 pm.
The $1.2 million in planned repairs to the West Tisbury library’s HVAC system is one of the more expensive requests at town meeting. For this project to proceed, voters will need to approve a P Proposition 2½ override, which will be on the ballot during the Thursday, April 13, town election.
Another expense the town will ask of voters is approving the appropriation of $208,995 from the Community Preservation undesignated reserve fund to pay off the debt from the Scott’s Grove affordable housing development.
The town will also be asking voters to approve using $25,000 in free cash toward hiring a professional to moderate a community visioning process. The idea is to hold a forum with town residents to determine what path West Tisbury should take for its future. The last time the town underwent a visioning process was 25 years ago.
West Tisbury is considering a number of zoning amendments, the most notable being an updated use table. The table lists what type of events are allowed to take place in each of the town’s districts, such as in the rural or village residential districts.
Another bylaw the town is considering is the prohibition of “non-public, outdoor construction and landscaping activity” on Sundays and holidays. There are some exceptions to this rule, such as homeowners working without heavy equipment or with tools that don’t make “repetitive sound alerts.”
Resident Marc Rosenbaum pitched the proposal to the West Tisbury select board last August. At the time, the board expressed concerns over enforcement and how resources could be drained, but they ultimately told Rosenbaum he could try getting voter approval.
Meanwhile, the West Tisbury budget is expected to see an increase from $22.17 million in fiscal year 2023 to $23.3 million in fiscal year 2024.
