Tisbury voters will be considering various potential amendments to zoning bylaws, one of which proposes the elimination of a cap on short-term rentals, at the town meeting next week.
Tisbury is scheduled to hold its annual and special town meetings on April 28 at the Tisbury School gymnasium at 7 pm. The annual warrant consists of 42 articles, while the special warrant has 26 articles.
Among the articles is a town proposal to eliminate the 75-night limit on short-term rental units. This was proposed by Roy Cutrer, a select board member in Tisbury, as a way to boost revenue for the town. But other town officials, including those on the affordable housing committee, have raised concerns about how to enforce the bylaw, if enacted, and the potential disruptions it could create for neighbors.
The town is also proposing a series of amendments to bylaws related to accessory dwelling units (ADUs), including clerical changes and clarifications to plumbing and what conditions would allow wastewater systems to connect to an ADU.
Town officials are also proposing the expansion of property tax exemptions for certain residents in town, including seniors, veterans, and homeowners who provide affordable housing.
Several citizens’ petitions will be considered by voters, including a proposal to expand the select board from three members to five and a proposed opposition to the widespread deployment of automatic license plate recognition technology to protect drivers’ privacy.
Another warrant article submitted by Tisbury residents asks voters to consider whether the town should formally condemn U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for “violations of local zoning and inhumane treatment of detainees.” Last May, around 20 individuals were arrested during ICE’s sweep of the Island, and a local restaurant owner was detained in Teaticket last September.
There’s also a citizen’s petition that was submitted with the Tisbury planning board, which proposes amendments to the town administrator bylaw that would clarify the limits to the town administrator’s authority in relation to the independent activity of boards.
Meanwhile, the town is requesting it be allowed to collect funds through real estate and property taxes, including a $1 million override to fund in part the town’s and Tisbury School’s operating budgets and to pay for the $3 million sewer collection system expansion in the State Road sewer district. These requests are ballot questions, so even if voters approve them at town meeting they will need to be approved again at the annual town election on May 12 at the Tisbury Emergency Services Facility.
Tisbury’s proposed town budget for fiscal year 2027 is $43.81 million, an around 5 percent increase from the fiscal year 2026 budget of $41.45 million. But the town is also facing great financial pressures, as stated in a February report compiled by UMB Collins, as deficits grow and Tisbury looks toward implementing various capital projects, such as upgrades to its wastewater management system and its share for the replacement of the local high school.
The warrant also has a slew of expenditure requests from the town, including spending $85,000 to remove an abandoned vessel named Seeker and borrowing $12 million for a new water tank.