Tisbury will need to finish off its annual town meeting on Wednesday after attendance fell below quorum on Tuesday night about halfway through the warrant. Before filing out of the new Tisbury School gymnasium, voters did manage to update the town administrator’s job description, restrict funding for new moorings, and turn down renovations at a proposed employee housing development.
Town meeting will resume at 7 pm at the Tisbury School gymnasium on Wednesday night. Over a dozen articles remain.
On Wednesday, voters passed articles during the special town meeting to update the job description for the town’s highest official, the town administrator. The town reevaluated the description while searching for Jay Grande’s successor; Joseph LaCivita has taken the reins since the start of this year. The new description fixes inconsistencies with town bylaws and updates the administrator’s oversight of town personnel, contracts, and more. Last year voters rejected the job description, concerned that it would give too much power to an unelected staffer.
While voters approved the new job description, they turned down a plan to spend $450,000 to renovate the Tashmoo Spring house — located on the Tashmoo Waterworks grounds that host public and private events — in order to house LaCivita there.
Planning board member Casey Hayward questioned why the article and its price tag were necessary, as LaCivita makes $250,000 per year.
Ruth Konigsburg, the only member of the finance and advisory committee to not recommend the article, said that if LaCivita moved in, the town would no longer need to pay him a $36,000 yearly housing stipend. She recommended nonetheless that the town look elsewhere. “In order to make back the $450,000 that we would be spending to renovate this place, [LaCivita] would have to stay here for 10-plus years,” she said.
Select board chair John Cahill supported the article, arguing that the town needs to take better care of its assets and develop housing to attract employees.
While officials had hoped that LaCivita would move into the house, the town administrator told The Times afterwards that his housing situation is not in jeopardy, as he is currently renting on-Island.
Voters also approved article nine, to purchase 35 new mooring assemblies and install them throughout town waterways.
But voters first narrowly approved an amendment from Lynn Fraker of the dredge committee, who moved that the harbor department install no more than 10 transient moorings in the outer harbor and limit total spending to $30,000. She told voters that the article, if unchanged, could strain the harbor’s infrastructure. She also noted that the town natural resources committee was not consulted about the proposal.
“To install this number of moorings without solid planning is reckless,” she said.
Former harbormaster Gary Kovac disagreed, saying the town would be able to handle additional moorings and would benefit financially. “With these moorings, they’re going to create revenue, and sooner than later they’re going to pay for themselves,” he said.
Residents also accepted their town’s seasonal communities designation and approved appropriation of $150,000 to fund replacement of Owen Park Pier.
Town finance director Jon Snyder also gave what might be his last town meeting appearance in his role, as he plans to retire at the end of January.
The headline may be misleading. The people of Tisbury denied use of the building which is near the Tisbury Water Works for municipal housing. (Where we used to pay our water bills.) The reason is that this building is on park, (public), land and located at the head of Tashmoo. The building temporarily housed some workers during the Tisbury School building project; however, it has not been previously used for municipal housing.
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