Edgartown voters are facing potential leaf-blower bans, a $2 million request for sewer designs, and the return of the party bylaw in the upcoming town meeting.
Edgartown will be holding its special and annual town meeting on April 8 at the Old Whaling Church at 7 pm. The full warrant can be viewed here.
The largest spending request is $2 million to complete the first phase of preliminary design work and state Department of Environmental Protection permitting for a sewer system in Ocean Heights. This is a part of the town’s 20-year effort to curtail the amount of nitrogen that flows into town watersheds like Sengekontacket Pond and Edgartown Great Pond.
Among other spending articles, one that has caught the attention of local beach access activists is a town request to use $27,400 to share half the costs with the Trustees of Reservations for environmental consulting toward bulkhead repairs and reconstruction at Dike Bridge. Covering the costs of Dike Bridge has been stalled by a dispute over ownership and which of the two entities is responsible for maintenance.
Edgartown voters are also facing a proposed $49.35 million budget for fiscal year 2026, an increase of a little over 6 percent from the fiscal year 2025 budget of $46.5 million.
There is a series of proposed bylaw changes as well, such as updating accessory dwelling regulations to align with the state laws, and an events bylaw restricting how and when events can be held — a hotly debated holdover from last year’s town meeting dubbed the “party bylaw.”
There is also a citizens’ petition, Article 87, aimed at blocking a potential affordable-housing project on Chappaquiddick. Opponents of the proposed project have cited environmental concerns during Edgartown affordable-housing committee meetings.
The Edgartown town election will be held at Town Hall on Thursday, April 10, from 10 am to 7 pm.
This year’s Edgartown party bylaw is entirely different from last year’s party bylaw. Last year there was an attempt to regulate non-commercial, unpaid, social gatherings throughout the town. This year’s proposal would allow properties over 3 acres to be rented for weddings and other social gatherings up to 5 times a year.
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