Voters at Aquinnah annual town meeting approved borrowing to fund repairs at town buildings, and voted to place on the ballot a debt exclusion for the regional school district.
At town hall on Tuesday night, Tom Murphy, town select board and infrastructure committee chair, advocated for borrowing $135,000 to improve town offices. After funds previously approved for the effort were partly used to help renovate the Gay Head Light, he said this year’s article should get work on town buildings back on track. “[This] should be sufficient for us to get back on our horses and get the windows replaced in the town office building, some insulation … a lot of necessary repairs on these buildings,” he said. Voters overwhelmingly approved the proposal.
Voters also approved $180,000 in borrowing over 10 years to help fund phase two of the town’s ongoing public playground project. Town Community Preservation committee chair Derrill Bazzy said the proposal was in line with methods used by the town previously, as the committee would use money it receives annually to pay off the loan in 10 years or fewer.
Voters also placed on the town election ballot a debt exclusion of $200,000 for the Up-Island Regional School District, for repairs to district facilities.
Voters rejected a proposal to add $16,000 to the town building inspector’s budget, advocated by inspector Adam Petkus. The proposal would have added money to help pay Petkus’ administrative assistant, Akeyah Lucas.
Petkus also heads Chilmark’s department; Aquinnah and Chilmark share departments as per an intertown agreement. Aquinnah reimburses Chilmark for one-fifth of the cost of the department’s services.
“I can’t do my job if I don’t have the resources to do it,” Petkus told voters.
Town administrator Jeffrey Madison argued against the request, stating that his town would have to pay Lucas benefits corresponding to a full-time position despite her working for Aquinnah eight hours per week. “In our town you don’t get benefits unless you work at least 20 hours … And for us to set a precedent or break a town ruling that in order to [be paid] for benefits you have to work 20 hours a week, it’s more than we can handle,” he said. He added that Aquinnah should work with Petkus to pay Lucas within town guidelines.
Residents approved other upgrades in town, including more than $70,000 for roadwork and $40,000 to regrade and resurface town parking lots.
And the town’s operating budget, precisely $7,398,891, was approved.
Other approvals included $15,000 for the town to buy a handicap wheelchair and improve access to town beaches, and $18,000 for the town to pay its grant writer, Gisele Gauthier. Town officials said Gauthier’s pay was well-deserved — town administrator Jeffrey Madison said Gauthier has brought $2 million into Aquinnah.
Voters also approved $15,000 for the town to build a kennel for use by an animal control officer. Aquinnah currently has no such officer, but town administrator Jeffrey Madison said that the state requires the facility, and that the town has leads on a candidate. “We have a line on someone qualified, who lives in town, and has unofficially agreed to consider being the officer here,” he said.
This year’s meeting was also the last for moderator Michael Hebert. “I wanted to take the opportunity to thank the voters of the town of Aquinnah for your kind words and support over all the years. It has truly been my honor,” he said.
At the town election on May 15, voters will decide on the debt exclusion and a contested select board race between incumbent Gary Haley and challenger Chris Manning.
