Owners of second homes in West Tisbury will be receiving an increased property tax bill.
In a 2–1 vote, the West Tisbury select board decided to adopt a 5 percent residential tax exemption during a Wednesday afternoon hearing.
The measure will give year-round homeowners a small discount on their tax bill, while second homeowners will see an increase.
The decision was made in an effort to help year-round residents struggling with a high cost of living.
Select board member Skipper Manter was the sole dissenting vote on Wednesday; he argued it was an unfair measure, and divided the community. “Why should my neighbor pay a different tax rate than I do just because he doesn’t live here year-round?” Manter said.
According to West Tisbury town assessor MacGregor Anderson, 651 residents prequalified for the exemption, although there are roughly 300 more people who may also be eligible and who have until April 2025 to apply.
A West Tisbury household with a property of the median residential value of $1.448 million would see cost savings of $344 annually. That’s based on fiscal year 2025 estimations with a 5 percent exemption.
Meanwhile, those who do not have West Tisbury as their primary residence with the same property values would see an uptick of $87.
West Tisbury homeowners likely won’t notice a change anyway, under the current exemption amount, with the expectation that the town’s operation budget will increase. The median household is likely to see a tax increase of $175 from last year, according to Anderson. Year-round residents would actually see the savings starting at the 10 percent exemption mark, which is the maximum he recommended to the board for this year.
The exemption has been controversial in town. Opponents of the tax measure argued it puts an additional burden on second homeowners, many of whom can’t vote in the town, and that it sowed division in the community. Proponents defended the exemption, saying it was a necessary measure to keep year-round residents remaining in West Tisbury in the midst of an Island-wide housing crisis. Residents have also made their cases in a series of letters to the town.
The only public comment at Wednesday’s hearing came from Laura Silber, Martha’s Vineyard Commission housing planner. She said the residential exemption was a common tool used by communities to preserve year-round residents. “The state of Massachusetts considers it a fair and equitable way to do this,” she said.
Silber also pointed out that the seasonal communities designation passed in the Affordable Homes Act would allow for the limits on residential tax exemptions of 35 percent to be raised to 50 percent in places like Martha’s Vineyard.
Select board members Jessica Miller and Cynthia Mitchell both expressed their support for the tax change.
“We’ll see … the greatest amount of impact for our primary domicile residents in a year our taxes are going to increase significantly,” Miller said.
Mitchell, who had reached out to year-round and seasonal residents, said she initially thought the exemption was unfair.
“The thing that changed my mind this time … the need for affordable housing is so huge. It’s [a] crisis,” she said, adding that the town can control the rate at how high the percentage increase goes.
Manter objected to the exemption, saying not everyone who has a second home on the Vineyard is wealthy. He also said second homeowners do not get a say in changes in the town, such as at town meetings. He added that the country didn’t need any more division, with “plenty more of that coming up.” He advocated for being “respectful of our neighbors,” some of whom have returned to the Island for years, and actively participate in the community.
