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Category: In the Press
Genetically Modified Crops? Aquinnah Voters Will Decide
with permission, MV Gazette
By SAM BUNGEY
Aquinnah voters will be asked to approve a $3 million budget at their annual town meeting Tuesday and will then face a $100,000 general override on the election ballot the following day, to help pay for it.
The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the old town hall. Moderator Walter Delaney will preside.
Despite sustained efforts from town leaders to slash the budget over the past several months, fixed costs, including $940,000 in funding for schools, pushed up the bottom line up by more than $100,000 over last year.
Several months ago letters were sent from selectmen to all departments requesting level funding and where possible ten per cent cuts in budgets. Significant cuts were made across most budgets and employees will receive no cost of living adjustment to their salaries.
“We tried everything to create a lean budget,” said selectman Jim Newman. “It’s these fixed costs that are drowning us.”
The result is that voters will be asked to agree to a tax increase in the midst of a recession.
And if that wasn’t enough, they will also be asked to ban genetically engineered food.
A citizen petition, which comes with a stamp of approval from the board of health and makes up the warrant’s final article, calls for a moratorium on the growth of genetically modified organisms in the town of Aquinnah. Voters are also asked to endorse a petition to the federal government to introduce labels on all GMO produce.
Resident and board of health member Richard Skidmore is behind the petition along with fellow resident Noli Taylor.
“Genetic engineering is an important issue for anyone who cares what’s in their food. When I go into the supermarket I don’t have a choice about what I buy because nothing is marked. That’s why mandatory labeling is important,” Mr. Skidmore said.
He said the problem is not with traditional agricultural methods but with modern cross-species methods of engineering.
“I’m not talking about putting a shoot into another stalk. I’m talking about putting a shoot into a pig,” he said. Mr. Skidmore added that scientists have recently included human genes with rice, and jellyfish and chicken DNA in potatoes.
Elsewhere the warrant is relatively straightforward and noncontroversial. Nevertheless it represents a series of essential votes for the town, Mr. Newman said.
“There are no controversies now that the Circle question has been taken out,” said Mr. Newman, referring to a proposal, voted down by selectmen Monday, to construct a performing arts stage at the Aquinnah cliffs. “But every article is important.”
Indeed the main question will be whether to approve the budget, a question dealt with at the beginning of the warrant. Article two asks voters to approve the necessary appropriations to cover town operating costs, with the exception of some $14,000. The article proposes to take this money from a waterway special revenue fund, which can be used for public safety expenses, to fund small perce ntages of the police, fire and shellfish budgets.
The largest single cost in the budget, money for schools, would rise some $50,000 to $930,000 for the coming year, with the main hike at the elementary level. The elementary school assessment will rise from $560,00 to $608,000 while Aquinnah’s share of the Martha’s Vineyard regional high school is $325,000, up from $318,000.
Other budget increases are far less significant, though some department budgets feature small increases, including the shellfish department. Mr. Newman argued that the cost is a necessary one.
“We really need to support the shellfish department which helps sustain Menemsha Pond,” he said of the department’s $30,000 budget.
Elsewhere on the warrant three articles deal with $74,000 in Community Preservation Act funding recommendations for various town projects.
Projects include $12,500 for the ongoing effort to restore the old town hall, $10,000 for the extension of a brick walkway at the Cliffs, and $8,000 to restore trim at the Gay Head Community Baptist Church.
Community preservation money comes from a combination of property taxes and state money.
The annual town election will be held the following day. The ballot features no contested races for seats in six departments.
But while there are no official challengers for Mr. Newman, who is running for a third term, a low-key campaign to write in planning board member Carlos Montoya for the seat appeared to be underway at press time yesterday.
Mr. Newman said he saw an e-mail sent May 3 urging voters to write in Mr. Montoya. Asked yesterday if he was running a write-in campaign, Mr. Montoya demurred.
“Not that I know of,” he said, though he added that he had heard some people intend to write him in.
“Some people want to see it happen,” he said, “I’m certainly not campaigning and people know that.”
But if elected he would consider taking the position.
“As a matter of principle you have to respect that kind of thing,” he said.
Late yesterday e-mails were circulating among a group of 30 residents who last week sent a letter to the selectmen opposing the Aquinnah Circle proposal, which Mr. Newman also opposed. The e-mails warned of the write-in campaign and urged the support of Mr. Newman.
Elsewhere on the ballot the only candidate running for the first time is Ted Cammann, who is unopposed for one of two seats on the board of assessors. There is no candidate for the other seat.
Also running unopposed are: Carlos Montoya, land bank commission; Berta Welch, planning board; Betty Joslow, library trustee; and Jerry A. Weiner, board of health.
Divided Board Kills Plan to Build Performance Stage at the Cliffs
with permission, MV Gazette
By SAM BUNGEY
Following a last-minute public campaign of staunch opposition, Aquinnah selectmen at a special meeting Monday shelved a proposal to build an outdoor performing arts stage at the Circle, leaving its architects frustrated and the board polarized on the issue.
The proposal is from Ted Cammann, a longtime music producer, and Jim Glavin of Deca Construction, who conceived the plan after organizing last August’s Aquinnah Music festival held at the Circle. The two men are now partners in Circle Productions LLC.
“We put on that festival because we wanted to do a fund-raiser for [local radio station] WVVY and there were no venues. There was nowhere to play,” said Mr. Glavin.
The project has been in the works since early spring, but a torrent of letters and e-mails against the project began pouring into town hall about two weeks ago. At a public hearing on the proposal last Thursday which ran for more than two hours, a group of detractors argued vociferously that the stage would be a blight on the natural beauty of the landscape at the Cliffs.
“There was an organized campaign to stack the deck against us,” Mr. Glavin said this week, “They won over one of the selectmen; it was a classic display of bad faith.”
Discussion at the Monday meeting of the selectmen, called to approve a May 19 special town meeting warrant, centered on a close reading of a March special town meeting article that was approved by voters, and whether or not the proposal from Mr. Glavin and Mr. Cammann met the requirements to be submitted for a second vote.
Mr. Newman argued that the requirements had not been met.
But Mr. Glavin said the selectmen had a responsibility to take the proposal back to the voters.
Mr. Newman said the proposed lease terms submitted by he applicants did not constitute a lease and therefore the article could not go on the warrant.
“You don’t have a lease,” said Mr. Newman.
“You have a proposed lease,” answered Mr. Glavin.
“There’s your mistake,” Mr. Newman shot back. “You’re saying to me that we have a proposal and you’re saying that proposal is a lease.”
“You’re not a lawyer,” said Mr. Glavin.
“I have spoken to a lawyer,” he said.
“Okay, where’s your opinion?” asked Mr. Glavin.
“Excuse me,” said Mr. Newman. “I have a motion on the table.”
“Yes, but now there’s discussion,” selectman Spencer Booker chimed in.
“Well, I’m going to call it in a minute,” said Mr. Newman.
Selectman Camille Rose said the town would be acting in bad faith by not bringing the proposal to the town meeting floor for a vote.
“Given that you’re both on record as opposing the plan do you have the intention to pursue it in good faith?” she asked.
“We can talk about it on a different scale,” answered Mr. Newman.
“But there are 40 town voters [who approved taking the first steps in March] . . . do you have any intention of honoring the vote?” she said.
Mr. Booker said the board’s request for proposals was too vague, did not ask for a business plan and should be republished.
In the end Mr. Newman’s motion to deny the application was approved 2-1, with Ms. Rose casting the dissenting vote.
The whole episode began at a March special town meeting, where voters agreed 40-15 to allow the selectmen to put out a request for proposals for a performing arts stage at the cliffs. Based on a preliminary proposal from Mr. Glavin and Mr. Cammann, the article requested that a lease be drawn up and be presented to the town at the annual town meeting on May 12. The draft article was later changed to a special town meeting for May 19 at the request of the town moderator.
Mr. Glavin and Mr. Cammann were the sole respondents to the request for proposals last month.
They attended an April 21 meeting of the selectmen at which Mr. Booker and Ms. Rose suggested minor changes to the proposal. Ms. Rose suggested that a lawyer acting for Mr. Glavin and Mr. Cammann draw up a lease agreement. The proposal was not referred to town counsel for review.
Mr. Newman did not attend the meeting, but said he would have suggested major changes to the proposal and would have insisted that a draft lease be prepared by town counsel.
“I was out of the country,” he said, “But the [Circle Productions] proposal was totally abhorrent.”
At the Monday meeting Mr. Newman laid blame with the applicants for discussing their proposal so far ahead of the deadline for the special town meeting warrant.
Later in the week though, speaking to the Gazette, Mr. Nemwan relented.
“Okay I take that back. It’s a little unfair. But I personally felt that when Camille suggested minor changes, a red light goes off, we needed great changes. I’m not prepared to go to the town meeting with a lease which I personally feel is not beneficial to the town.”
He added that he felt the proposal should have been referred to the Martha’s Vineyard Commission.
“This is one of the most important votes I’ve had in my six years as selectman,” he said.
Speaking after the meeting, Mr. Glavin said political considerations had dominated the issue.
“The board was very polarized, with Spencer in the middle,” he said. “I understand why he voted no. I probably would have sitting in his chair.”
He said that Monday’s vote effectively killed the project, for this year at least, but that he and Mr. Cammann have not given up.
“We’re a bit discouraged at the moment, but we’re not dead,” Mr. Glavin said.
Selectmen Spike Concert Venue in Aquinnah
with permission, MV Times
By Steve Myrick
Aquinnah selectmen Monday rejected a proposal from town residents James Glavin and Ted Cammann to create an outdoor performing arts center at the Aquinnah circle adjacent to the Gay Head cliffs. The divided vote followed a sharp and heated debate.
Chairman Jim Newman and Spencer Booker voted in favor of a motion to reject the proposal. Camille Rose, a strong supporter of the use of the circle as a concert venue, opposed the motion.
The selectmen met to approve a warrant for a special town meeting on May 19, when voters might have had the opportunity to take action on a proposed lease between the town and Mssrs. Glavin and Cammann for the long-term use of the circle.
An article that asked voters to decide the question of a lease was included on the draft warrant. The rejection of the proposal means the article will not appear on the special town meeting warrant.
The proposal first surfaced this winter when Mr. Glavin, owner of DECA Construction, and Mr. Cammann, a veteran producer of live music concerts, outlined their plans to create a summer concert venue at the Aquinnah circle.
They proposed to use the land’s natural topography as an amphitheater. The stage would be placed in the lower section so that the audience would be looking out in the direction of Nomans Land.
By a vote of 40-15, at a special town meeting on March 3, voters approved an article that asked selectmen to “solicit proposals to lease a portion of the Aquinnah circle for purposes of constructing a performing arts staging structure; provided, however, that any lease will be contingent on approval by a vote of a special town meeting.”
Voters were told that a special town meeting would be held in May to consider the terms of any lease.
Mr. Cammann and Mr. Glavin submitted a proposal, the only one received that called for the lease of the circle area, beginning June 1, 2009 for 10 years, with an option to renew. They said events would be held between June 1 and Sept. 30 and be limited to 2,500 tickets for each event. The town would receive $1 per year for the first two years of the lease, and $1 per ticket sold for the last eight years of the lease.
The men aimed to negotiate a ground lease, operating agreement, and enabling document establishing a citizen advisory board, which would be presented to voters on May 19.
During Monday’s meeting, chairman Jim Newman stuck fiercely to a strict interpretation of the article approved at the town meeting. He said that the board was under no obligation to accept the proposal submitted, and if it was rejected, there was no question to put before voters.
“There’s an overwhelming movement against it, against the way it’s been done in such a hasty way,” said Mr. Newman. “We don’t have a lease, we have not seen a lease. We cannot make any recommendations on the town floor.”
Mr. Glavin and Mr. Cammann said the lease and operating agreement they submitted were meant to be a starting point for negotiation, but selectmen refused to negotiate any of the terms. That point sparked a heated exchange between Mr. Newman and Mr. Glavin.
“The purpose of negotiation was to put that lease before the voters,” said Mr. Glavin.
“I do not have a lease,” said Mr. Newman.
“You have a lease,” said Mr. Glavin.
“There’s your mistake, if you’re saying to me that we have a proposal and you’re saying that proposal is a lease,” said Mr. Newman.
“You’re not a lawyer,” said Mr. Glavin.
“No, but I have discussed it with our lawyer,” said Mr. Newman.
“Then where is his opinion,” asked Mr. Glavin.
“We’re not mandated to accept a proposal if it is believed to be inadequate,” said Mr. Newman.
Ms. Rose asked pointed questions of the chairman during the short but terse debate. “Are the 40 town voters who voted for this to be ignored?” she asked.
“I have not seen anybody come out who was in favor of this since that meeting,” said Mr. Newman.
“There was a vote, have you any intention of honoring the vote,” asked Ms. Rose.
“Yes, if we had a proposal that was acceptable,” said Mr. Newman.
Mr. Booker mostly stayed out of the debate, except to assert that he thought the town should issue a more detailed request for proposals (RFP). “I personally feel the RFP we first submitted was not adequate,” he said.
Mr. Newman refused to set any timetable for future negotiation, or for issuing of a new, more detailed RFP. Ms. Rose pointed out that she did not favor the proposal as submitted, but thought it was a good basis for negotiation
Later during the meeting, in a response to a question from Wampanoag tribal administrator Tobias Vanderhoop, Ms. Rose said that by soliciting proposals, selectmen were doing only half of what voters asked them to do. “The other half was to prepare a lease,” she said. “Regardless of how that was worded, that’s what the intent of the voters was, there’s no question about it.”
Following the meeting, Mr. Newman and Mr. Booker said the proposal submitted was not adequate.
“The proposal spelled out the town’s obligation,” Mr. Newman told The Times. “It should have centered on what they were going to do. We should have had some business plan, we should have known more about what they had in mind.”
“It was put on a fast track,” said Mr. Booker. “Things were rushed and the RFP wasn’t thorough. The RFP didn’t specifically spell out we’re looking for a business plan to go with the concept. Had that been done, and had we taken the time and thought it out correctly instead of fast-tracking it, we would be in a different place than we find ourselves today. I don’t like the terms of the lease. I will not present it to the town in its current form.”
In separate conversations following the vote, Mr. Glavin and Mr. Cammann told The Times they were disappointed with the selectmen’s action.
“It’s a shame that a few negative people scream loudly,” said Mr. Cammann in a phone conversation with The Times on Wednesday. “One selectmen is able to manipulate letters and so on to make it appear there is overwhelming opposition. If he thinks that’s the case, then it should really go in front of the town for a vote. Political maneuvering and back room politics, that’s not something I thought we were going to be dealing with. I thought we were going to be dealing with forthright and honest people.”
Both men criticized a public hearing held March 30, which they said was packed with opponents.
“We weren’t allowed to respond to individual comments,” said Mr. Cammann. “I felt like we were gagged.” Mr. Cammann said at the end of the meeting, when they were ready to respond, the meeting descended into chaos. “Totally out of control. People were just getting up and talking and yelling, whoever could yell the loudest got to be heard.”
In a letter to The Times, Mr. Glavin called the selectmen’s action an effort to “co-opt the process via raw political power rationalized by some spurious semantic feints.”
In another letter to The Times, 31 people added their names to a letter opposing the plan for summer concerts.
“We do not reside in Aquinnah to fight with, to listen to, or to watch traffic and to breathe its exhaust, or to admire the many cars parking up and down Moshup Trail, or to have electronically amplified sound keep our children awake at night while blotting out the sounds of nature,” said the group in its letter. “We can get that in other places. We come here, to the far end of an Island in the middle of the ocean, for a different reason.”
Mr. Glavin and Mr. Cammann, however, said they would move forward with their plans.
“We need to sit down and try and find middle ground,” said Mr. Cammann. “I remain optimistic, maybe naively so. There’s still a great many people in town who support this. I think it’s going to happen. Our pace has been altered, but I think our objective is the same and our support is the same.”
Mr. Glavin said, “There are some people here who are diametrically opposed to it. If that’s the majority, even if it’s close to the majority, frankly, it’s not going to work. We are certainly not going to force something down the town’s throat.”
Letters re: Aquinnah Circle Concert Venue Proposal
with permission, MV Times, Letters to the Editor
Let the voters say
To the Editor:
The events of this past week affecting our proposal for a place for the performing arts at the Aquinnah Circle leave the effort diverted but not derailed, delayed but not destroyed. There was a successful effort by several residents, some of whom are voters, to co-opt the process via raw political power rationalized by some spurious semantic feints. The pity is, in a turn of events sometimes acrimonious, occasionally hysterical, the will of the voters remains unknown. In that fact, these opponents may have mis-served their own cause.
My purpose here is not to advocate our concept as much as to highlight the failures of process we all experienced. Indeed, our proposal seeks only to benefit the larger group of townspeople: if it is not the will of the voters to embrace our offer, so be it. With that will unknowable, given the lack of good faith displayed in the manner this was handled, the question remains open, serving no one. This minority group has fallen into the trap of allowing their zealotry to overshadow all reason and due process. It is an ethical truism that ends do not justify the means. Perhaps they took the path they did out of desperation, out of fear of the truth. The only fact left knowable is that such truth remains unknown, begging for the light of day.
The argument against the effort revolves mostly about the desire for stasis. Admittedly, it threatens the status quo. But it does so to achieve an arguably larger good for the arts, for the economy of the poorest town in the Commonwealth, for the sharing of the cultures we all embrace. This is the choice we still believe only the voters are empowered to make. At times, we all have felt the desire to be the last person off the boat. But this is a cynical expression of negativity that defies logic, courtesy or propriety. Why not let the voters speak their mind?
Most of all, my partner, Ted Cammann, and myself want to thank all those who take heed of the merits that all but a very few will admit may accrue to our idea and assume a positive perspective – positive not necessarily in favor our proposal, but positive for our future in their persistent attempts to find common ground to bring the most benefit to the greater part of our community. Those indeed are the ones our children should look up to and seek to emulate.
Jim Glavin
Circle Productions LLC
Aquinnah
It’s not Aquinnah
To the Editor:
This is a copy of a letter to the Aquinnah selectmen.
This letter is in vigorous opposition to the proposal of Circle Productions to create a seasonal venue for the holding of concerts and other events in the circle at the cliffs. We, 31 undersigned residents of Aquinnah, request that this letter be read into the public record at the public hearing to be held on this matter, April 30, or whenever held.
As we all know, Aquinnah is an unusual place. Indeed, even Wikipedia, the world wide web’s encyclopedia, states that Aquinnah “is known for its beautiful clay cliffs and its quiet natural serenity, which has become less common in the heavily populated northeastern United States.” Thus, we agree with the opening statement of the group seeking to promote such concerts.
In their proposal, they state that the townspeople of Aquinnah, are “blessed with a very special and unique place.” That statement is right on the money (so to speak). It is, in fact, the essence of why we all want to be here.
We also agree with the promoters that the uniqueness of Aquinnah and of the cliffs makes it a particularly attractive venue for concerts or for other public gatherings. But the issue here is not whether Aquinnah is a good place for concerts. The issue is whether concerts are good for Aquinnah.
The congestion, the traffic, the pollution, the litter and, above all, the loud amplified sound emanating from the proposed stage and echoing into the landscape and into our homes are not in keeping with the nature and identity of this community. No amount of fine tuning of the proposal, no amount of tinkering with the terms and conditions of the proposed lease, no amount of negotiation with the promoters is going to solve this fundamental inconsistency. No matter how well run and organized, an ongoing series of concerts at the circle is in direct conflict with the uniqueness of our town and with our “quiet natural serenity.”
On a personal level, we wish to say that all of us reside in Aquinnah because we love the openness and texture of the landscape, the sound of the surf hitting the beach, the crickets at night, the wind in the trees, the solitude and privacy, and the friendship of our neighbors. For us, there is no place else on earth like this.
We do not reside in Aquinnah to fight with, to listen to, or to watch traffic and to breathe its exhaust, or to admire the many cars parking up and down Moshup Trail, or to have electronically amplified sound keep our children awake at night while blotting out the sounds of nature. We can get that in other places. We come here, to the far end of an Island in the middle of the ocean, for a different reason.
As for congestion, the promoters admit as much in their proposal. They say, “these events will attract visitors who may not otherwise have ventured into the woolly westernmost wilds of our Island….” But, as a town, haven’t we tried very hard to keep things “woolly and wild?” Why would bringing hundreds or thousands of people to Aquinnah on a regular basis be attractive to the town?
To the promoters, the reason is to increase commerce. Their proposal states that bringing visitors would “create an opportunity for the more established businesses to increase their exposure, not only on the day of the event; but by instilling their offerings in the minds of these sometime visitors….” In this way, the proposal continues, these visitors would be “likely to return at another time.” In plain English, bringing more visitors now means even more visitors later, and not just on weekends.
And where does bringing more and more visitors to Aquinnah all end? What is the ultimate effect on the town? To what degree will this change the nature of this place? The promoters address this issue as well. They state: “It is impossible for us to conjure a certain vision of where this proposal will lead after a number of years.” Yes, indeed.
Is increasing the circle’s commercial use in the Aquinnah residents’ best interests? Is such commercial expansion part of our town’s long-term plan? To be absurd, we could conceivably put a strip mall at the top of the circle and have a mini-Woodstock every weekend. But how less absurd is it – no matter the degree of commercialization – to act contrary to and to defeat the very reason we all reside here?
The promoters, it appears, seek to establish a kind of outdoor Hot Tin Roof in the heart of our community, one where we can hear the music from our houses without having to pay for admission.
How many of our fellow townspeople are delighted that they don’t live down-island – with all its traffic – during the summer? How many of us seek a decrease in the value of our homes, because Aquinnah’s identity as a safe, quiet and unique haven is threatened and up for sale? Is the dignity of the Vanderhoop homestead for sale? How much are the spectacular and commanding views of Philbin Beach and Nomans Land worth?
The promoters state that Aquinnah “offers us all an opportunity and a responsibility in the privilege to designate its use.” We submit that their proposal is an inappropriate use and, given our town’s uniqueness, it is irresponsible as well.
The promoters state that their “proposal has no merit if it fails to bring us together as neighbors in pursuit of the greater good….” We agree. By bringing an activity to Aquinnah that is alien to its identity, to its nature, and to our reasons for being here, this proposal will surely fail to bring the people of Aquinnah together as neighbors. Nor does the proposal promote the greater good; it will, instead, tend toward destroying it. Judged, then, even by the promoters’ own terms, the proposal has no merit.
Respectfully submitted.
Rob Schiller, Sue Jensen, Tom Murphy, Christine Murphy, Tim Murphy, Kate Murphy, Jim Vercruysee, Layne Vercruysee, Steven Kaufman, Barrie Keller, Joseph Corbo, Faith Corbo, Ron Lowe, Cindy Lowe, John Patton, Lisa Donahue, Kristin Mannion, H.P. Goldfield, Catherine Vickery, David Vickery, Barbara Okun, Cheryl Batzer, Gary Foster, Lisa Foster, Clyde Phillips, Jane Lancelotti, Sarah Thulin, Dennis Thulin, Jay Theise, Beth Green, Jerry Green
Aquinnah
Aquinnah Takes Up Budget $100,000 Short
with permission, MV Times
by Nelson Sigelman
Aquinnah voters will be asked to dig deep next week. Town leaders need taxpayers to hand over an additional $100,000 to cover operating expenses for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
On Tuesday, voters gather at 7 pm in the Aquinnah old town hall to take up a bare-bones, 16-article annual warrant (available at mvtimes.com) that includes a $2.9 million operating budget.
On Wednesday voters go to the polls to elect town officers in an election with no races and to decide on a Proposition 2.5 request for an additional $100,000 in taxes.
The Aquinnah operating budget will rise by approximately 3 percent to $2,899,621 in fiscal year (FY) 2010. Much of that increase is attributable to school expenses, regional assessments and insurance costs.
At the same time, the town has seen revenue drop, said Jeff Burgoyne, town administrator. Parking lot revenue and interest payments are off.
In years past so-called free cash has provided a last-minute life ring. Town accountant Marjorie Spitz said the town has not received a certified figure from the state Department of Revenue, but in any case it would be a minimal amount and not enough to cover cash needs.
The rise in fixed costs and Aquinnah’s traditional reluctance over the years to approve Proposition 2.5 requests has left the town with little breathing room.
The warrant includes an opportunity for voters to decide to maintain the current up-Island Regional School District agreement, already agreed to by Chilmark and West Tisbury, or opt for the state’s so-called statutory assessment method.
In a telephone conversation Tuesday, selectman Camille Rose said selectmen and department heads cut the budget “right to the bone.” The salaries reflect only step increases and no cost of living adjustments (COLAs), she said. In many cases, departments are level-funded or below this year’s budget.
Ms. Rose said that despite efforts to restrain costs and look at every line item in the budget the town still needs an additional $100,000. “Which is a little scary,” she said. “If it gets turned down by the voters I don’t know where we are going to go for the money. I know it is a cliché but we are literally going to be looking at cutting services which are kind of minimal as it is.”
With hindsight, Ms. Rose said the town might have been wise in the past to approve Prop 2.5 requests. She said one alternative may be to look at some regional costs, and that includes the Shellfish Group assessment. “But that’s only $30,000, and if voters decide to accept the statutory assessment for the up-Island school district we could save another $40,000 there,” she said, “but traditionally they have honored the agreement.”
The FY 2010 budget that will be presented to voters includes numerous department cuts. For example, the town saved $7,000 on the line item identified as consultant fees in the selectmen’s department. In all, the cost of general government will decline by $50, from $461,952 in FY 2009 to $467,970 in FY 2010.
Under the heading, Land Use, which includes the Martha’s Vineyard Commission assessment of $39,313 and the planning board budget, the town will spend $39,313, a drop of $1,706.
The police department budget will decline from $402,317 to $398,752. In total, public safety, which includes the fire department, ambulance service, and harbormaster’s office, will cost the town $617,113, an increase of $5,439, mostly attributable to an increase in the Tri-town ambulance assessment of $103,681.
As it traditionally does, education will lay claim to the largest share of tax dollars. The elementary school assessment will rise from $563,244 to $607,863. The regional high school assessment will rise from $318,020 to $324,068. The total cost of education would rise from $881,264 to $931,931.
The cost of employee benefits continues to rise. Insurance will jump from $192,747 to $230,136. The total cost of employee benefits will rise from $318,003 to $357,749.
Voters will take up a warrant with a number of requests to appropriate existing money but only two requests to raise new money, both tied to county services.
Articles six and seven pertain to community preservation committee (CPC) requests to allot community preservation act funds.
The CPC will ask voters to approve expenditures for various projects, including $10,000 to repair the Gay Head Lighthouse; $11,520 for mortgage costs related to the restoration of the town library; and $10,000 for the extension of the brick walkway at the Gay Head cliffs.
Last year, the town cleared a long overgrown public right of way to Squibnocket Pond. But there was a problem. The town cleared a path on private property. The warrant includes a request to appropriate $5,000 from the waterways fund for surveying and clearing the town’s right of way.
The only money requests would help cover the costs of operating two county departments, previously included in the Dukes County budget.
The county’s draft 2010 budget calls for spending $69,542 on pest control and $90,469 on health care access. Aquinnah taxpayers will be asked to contribute $1,972 to health care access and $1,152 to pest control.
In the next fiscal year, the county commissioners want to reduce the county’s contribution to 40 percent of the budgets for these items and increase the towns’ contributions to 60 percent of the overall costs. The eventual aim is that the towns will fully fund both programs. That money taxpayers contribute would be in addition to the county’s annual assessment, $27,364 in FY 2010.