Edgartown voters completed a marathon five-hour session for their special and annual town meetings, concluding after midnight.
Of the 110 articles considered, voters postponed a bylaw that would have restricted large social gatherings in residential neighborhoods, narrowly struck down a proposed ban on gas-powered leaf blowers, and approved an amended construction plan around the Robinson Road Recreation Area.
The “party bylaw,” as some have called it, was one of the night’s most hotly debated issues, eventually being indefinitely postponed by voters.
The bylaw would have prohibited owners of private residences from holding more than two events per month with over 50 guests, and over five such events in a year; hosts would also be required to get a permit for such events.
A number of residents took to the floor to voice their concerns, including Jane Bradbury, who successfully proposed an amendment to decrease the number of events allowed in a month from two to one.
“I can’t imagine myself or most of the people on my street wanting to have a large event … twice a month,” said Bradbury.
Joe Smith told voters that the proposed bylaw would be an overreach by the town.
“I think this has a good idea to it, but I think a lot of the conditions you put in are taking our rights away as homeowners,” Smith said, also asking that the article be rewritten. “You can’t come up with a better solution than to put this on everyone in the town?” Smith added. “We do have property rights.”
Police Chief Bruce McNamee tried to temper voters’ expectations of how the bylaw would be enforced.
“The officers wouldn’t necessarily be storming a wedding,” McNamee said. “We would forward [an incident] to town hall and determine whether there needs to be a hearing later on in the month. Unless it’s particularly abhorrent, we would probably still let [an event] go on unless it violates another bylaw.”
“We are trying to find a balance here where we can still live in a free country,” McNamee added.
Voters then overwhelmingly moved to indefinitely postpone the article.
Much debate also surrounded a proposed ban on gas-powered leaf blowers. This article failed to reach its required two-thirds threshold, with 94 votes for and 89 against.
Advocates argued that gas-powered leaf blowers contribute to noise and air pollution, and that electric leaf blowers are quieter and available. Detractors of the article argued that a ban would be going too far and would harm local landscaping businesses.
And with a vote of 173 for and 31 against, voters also approved Article 9 to carry out the terms of an amendment to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the town and the Martha’s Vineyard Boys & Girls Club. These amended plans involve a new design for an access road to the club’s property, which would cut through where a town-owned croquet court is currently located. The parks department also plans to update recreational facilities in the adjacent Robinson Road Recreation Area. Parks commissioner Andrew Kelly told voters on Tuesday that the amended plan’s access road is much safer for students at the nearby Edgartown School than the one in the initial MOU.
“It allows for a much more fluid road going straight through [the court’s location],” Kelly said. “It would keep traffic out of the actual school yard.”
Many of the public comments against passing this article came from supporters of the Edgartown Croquet Club (ECC). The ECC relies upon the current court; members worried that the town would not build a planned replacement court before they lost too many members.
“There is no other croquet field on the whole Island,” Joan Collins said on the ECC’s behalf.
Kelly also told voters that he is unsure when exactly the town will build a new court, though work on the amended plan overall could start next fall.
“I would say the answer to your question is, the earliest this would start [is] probably next fall,” Kelly said. “There’s a chance it’ll probably be one summer without the croquet court before we could put one back in, but I can’t give a definitive answer.”
Voters also approved just over $1 million to repair damage caused multiple storms this winter; Edgartown has also submitted an Initial Damage Assessment (IDA) reimbursement request to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in order to cover storm-related repairs.
Also on Tuesday, town administrator James Hagerty told voters that Edgartown has around $200 million of expenditures coming over the next five to 10 years to pay for a number of significant capital projects. These include around $20 million for fire station improvement, upgrades to the town’s sewer system, an estimated $15 million to upgrade the Chappy ferry, and possible contributions to the high school’s renovation or rebuilding project.
Voters also approved an increase in the local room occupancy excise, from four to six percent. This will take effect on January 1, 2025.
Also postponed at the meeting was the final, 99th article, which would have regulated short-term rentals in Edgartown.
Leaving the Old Whaling Church, voter Linda Shapiro thought the meeting went well, but that it suffered somewhat due to its size. “I think, unfortunately, some of the big articles that we postponed needed to be talked about. When they come in so late in the meeting, they just get blown away,” Shapiro said.
