Live Updates: Nantucket's Annual Town Meeting 2026

We are live from Nantucket High School's Mary P. Walker Auditorium, where voters have gathered for Nantucket's 2026 Annual Town Meeting. 

The Current will be sharing live updates from Town Meeting floor as votes are taken. Stay tuned!

Town Meeting Adjourned, 8:27 p.m. | That's a wrap on Town Meeting! Thank you for following along with us live.

Article 73, Sconset Geotube Expansion, 8:25 p.m. | Town Meeting has defeated a proposed expansion of the controversial geotube erosion control project along the Sconset Bluff on a 182-163 vote. The vote represents a major defeat for the town and their partner, the Sconset Beach Preservation Fund, in their battle to extend the geotubes down the bluff. While the Select Board endorsed the proposal and signed off on an agreement with the Sconset Beach Preservation Fund that included around $9 million in contingency funds, it wasn’t enough to overcome the skepticism and distrust of local voters. The defeat is one more headwind for the embattled geotube project, which is already facing damage from an alleged act of vandalism.

Last Article of the Night, 7:23 p.m. | We are now moving to debate on Article 73, which seeks to expand the Sconset Bluff geotube erosion control project. It is likely the highest-profile article that voters will decide on the second night of Town Meeting. It is also the last article we will decide.

Article 72, Historic Demolitions, 7:19 p.m. | An article seeking a 4-1 vote of the Historic District Commission to authorize the demolition of any structure built more than 50 years ago passed 290-58. Article sponsor Hollis Webb added language to his motion authorizing the Select Board to file a homerule petition to the same affect as the article. The change was made in response to a late-breaking opinion from a town attorney which argued that the change proposed by Webb would require state-level action. The Select Board is not bound to file the home-rule petition. An amendment made by Brian Sullivan, which would have changed the cutoff from 50 to 100 years failed on a 288-53 vote.

Article 51, Secondary Dwelling Units, 7:02 p.m. | Article 51 changes existing restrictions on secondary dwellings in Nantucket’s zoning law. Town Meeting backed the article 285-63. It is part of the town’s broader effort to respond to a state law legalizing accessory dwelling units by right. An amendment proposed by Bob Lang, which would have struck the Residential Old Historic district from a list of zoning districts where secondary dwellings would no longer be permitted, was defeated 294-50. The change was made as the town’s planning leaders believe the accessory dwelling unit can take the place of the secondary dwelling unit in those districts, and otherwise, three dwelling units would be allowed instead of two.

Article 45, Community Land Trust, 6:12 p.m. | Town Meeting has voted 289-68 in favor of an article establishing a formal zoning definition of Community Land Trust. The definition supports the newly formed Nantucket Land Trust.

Article 44, Attainable Housing, 5:47 p.m. | Voters have split 299-40 in favor of a proposal raising the threshold for attainable housing from 240 percent of area median income to 250 percent of area median income.

Article 41, Rear Lot Subdivisions, 5:40 p.m. | An article allowing the Planning Board to require year-round or attainable housing restrictions on newly created rear-lot subdivisions passed 239-99.

Article 39, Demolition Delay Advertising, 5:29 p.m. | On a 321-18 vote, Town Meeting has approved a proposal requiring the town of Nantucket to advertise proposed demolitions electronically. Initially, the proposal would have allowed the town to choose between electronic and print advertising, but an amendment proposed by Campbell Sutton altered the language to require the town to do both, assuming the article is approved by the Attorney General. The proposal was backed by the Nantucket Preservation Trust.

Article 37, Waste Incineration, 5:12 p.m. | Town Meeting voted 236-87 to defeat a proposal by perennial Select Board candidate Clifford Williams, which would have instructed the town to fund a feasibility study for waste incineration at the landfill.

Article 36, Offshore Wind Stabilization Fund, 5:00 p.m. | A citizen petition to create an offshore wind stabilization fund has been defeated 230-81. Two-thirds support was needed for the article to pass. The petition, sponsored by ACK For Whales, would have dedicated future revenue connected to offshore wind, as well as some money already received by the town, into a special-purpose stabilization fund to pay for damages from offshore wind projects, cover litigation against offshore wind farms, and provide information about “the harm to Nantucket and its inhabitants arising from off-shore wind farms.”

Night Two Begins, 4:31 p.m. | Night two of town meeting is officially underway. There are a few important articles remaining to discuss, perhaps most notably Article 73, the proposed expansion of the Sconset Bluff geotube erosion control project. We will start with Article 36, which proposes an offshore wind stabilization fund.

Adjourned to Night Two, 9:51 p.m. | We are adjourned until Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. Join us then for night two!

Article 35, Stop Signs 9:50 p.m. |  For the last six weeks, drivers headed down Surfside Road may have noticed new stop signs at the intersection with Surfside Road and Miacomet Road. Those stop signs, implemented as a trial in the lead-up to Town Meeting, will now be permenant after a 213-35 vote on a citizen petition submitted by Walter Flaherty that was submitted before the town announced its plans to trial the traffic control signage.

Articles 18 and 19, Enterprise Funds, 9:41 p.m. | Articles 18 passed 203-34 after an amendment proposed by Planning Board candidate Clay Evans was ruled out of order. Article 19 was then passed on consent after Evans withdrew his call. Article 68, pertaining to Nantucket's noise bylaws, was also passed on consent after Sconset resident John Shea withdrew his call.

Article 15, Somerset Sewer, 9:34 p.m. | A $44.8 million sewer extension slated for the Somerset area has been adopted on a 304-116 vote. Town boards went back and forth on the proposal, but it was ultimately endorsed by both the Select Board and Finance Committee. Most of the debate Monday night was focused on whether to fund up to 25 percent of the cost by betterment fees assessed on the homeowners who will receive sewer from the expansion. A proposed amendment to allow exemptions from the betterment fees “when such charges result in an unjust burden” was adopted 246-183, but it was then made moot when a second amendment from Brian Sullivan striking the betterment fees entirely passed on a 324-103 vote.

Article 14, LORAN Barracks Repairs 8:33 p.m. | An article seeking $5.4 million in funding for the next phase of repairs at the LORAN barracks used as seasonal housing for the police department’s community services articles has been defeated. A majority of Town Meeting voters backed the repairs in a 324-218 vote, but two-thirds support was needed for the article to pass. The town has faced criticism over alleged poor living conditions at the barracks.

Article 13, Town Employee Housing, 8:15 p.m. | Voters have approved $7 million for nine bedrooms of town employee housing on a 432-137 vote. A previous version of the project, seeking $14 million for up to 20 bedrooms, came up short of the two-thirds needed to pass in 2025, though it did secure a majority of the vote. Town leaders have emphasized the need for municipally-controlled housing, charting out a path to construct up to 50 units in the next 10 years. The employee housing still needs majority support at Nantucket’s local elections on May 19th.

Article 12, Athletic Complex Improvements Approved, 8:00 p.m. | Town Meeting has voted 719-281 to support the Nantucket Public Schools’ proposal to renovate the athletic facilities at Vito Capizzo Stadium, an emphatic win in the school system’s years-long quest to upgrade the aging infrastructure behind the high school. If a simple majority of voters backs the proposal at Nantucket’s local elections on May 19th, the schools are cleared to begin work. But until the Board of Health has decided whether to ban turf island-wide, the issue of what material to use for the central playing field will remain unresolved.

Article 12 Amendment To Strike Turf Field, 7:35 p.m. | Perry’s amendment seeking to remove the artificial turf field from the proposed overhaul of the Nantucket Public Schools’ athletic complexes has failed on a 404-636 vote. That’s less than two-thirds backing turf. Time will tell if the margin is an indication of Town Meeting’s overall level of support for the renovations, including the turf field.

Moderator Sarah Alger, 7:26 p.m. | Article 12, a proposal by the Nantucket Public Schools to renovate the athletic complexes at Vito Capizzo field, figures to be one of the most controversial of the night as voters spar over the inclusion of an artificial turf playing field. Keeping the debate in check is Town Moderator Sarah Alger, who is currently running for her thirtieth consecutive term. Alger, a mainstay of Nantucket’s local politics, recently sat down for an interview with N Magazine.

One More Note on Turnout, 7:10 p.m. | A lot of people left the auditorium after the vote on Our Island Home, so that will almost certainly be the highest turnout vote of the meeting. Turnout was around 12.8 percent, a bit higher than what we saw at the start of the meeting.

Article 12 Amendment Presented To Strike Turf Field From Project, 7:02 p.m. | Island resident Meghan Perry has proposed an amendment to the Nantucket Public Schools’ athletic complex renovations, striking a proposed artificial turf field from the plan. It was widely expected that this amendment would be made: for the last seven months, the issue of whether to use turf or grass has overshadowed every other aspect of the project. The large majority of those who have expressed opinions on the matter at School Committee and Board of Health meetings have come down in favor of turf, but Town Meeting may feel differently, and even if the amendment is defeated, the margin could be a sign of what’s to come, as the plan needs two-thirds support to pass.

Article 11, Our Island Home, 6:54 p.m. | In a reversal, Town Meeting has voted 959-321 to support a $137 million proposal to move Our Island Home to Sherburne Commons after defeating the plan last year. The largest capital project to ever go before Town Meeting, the new Our Island Home is slated to keep the state’s only municipally owned skilled nursing facility open for the foreseeable future. The project still needs majority support at the ballot box in the upcoming local election, but if confirmed, tonight’s vote represents a major investment. It is also a striking change of pace after voters shot down most large borrowing articles last year. In an initial vote, Town Meeting backed the proposal 900-312. But due to confusion in the high school gym about whether certain votes were being counted properly, the question had to be re-voted.

Article 7, Personnel Compensation, 5:57 p.m. | Voters backed an amendment to Article 7 increasing the Select Board’s pay from $4,500 to $14,500 annually on a 903-238 vote, and then voted through Article 7 990-141. The overwhelming support for the amendment dramatically increases the Select Board’s pay. Mary Longacre, who proposed the amendment, said it was designed to allow more people to run for Select Board by increasing the financial compensation offered for the job.

Notable Articles Passed on Consent, 5:48 p.m. | A number of high-profile articles just passed on consent, meaning no one objected to the motions printed in the warrant. One of those is Article 8, the town’s operating budget, which is the largest in Nantucket’s history. Other proposals passed on consent include $8 million for the second phase of debris cleanup at Tom Nevers in Article 16 and an effort to restrict development on certain pre-existing non-conforming lots that does not comply with current zoning in Article 63. Voters also allowed Article 17 to pass on consent. Article 17 sought $1.2 million in design funding for a new Department of Public Works building at 1 Shadbush Road. Voters rejected the proposal last year, but the town was able to guide the request across the finish line by changing the funding source to free cash, which allows the project to go forward without borrowing and lowers the threshold for passage from two-thirds to a simple majority.

Call of the Articles, 5:42 p.m. | We’ve just wrapped up the call of the articles, which determines which of the proposals in the warrant will be discussed over the course of Town Meeting. The following articles have been called: 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19, 35, 36, 37, 39, 41, 44, 45, 51, 68, 72, and 73. All other articles will be disposed of per the Finance Committee’s recommendations.

Young Voters, 5:23 p.m. | One more note on turnout as we work our way through technical amendments to the warrant: it’s anecdotal, but there appear to be more young people in attendance tonight than there usually are at Town Meeting. Some high school students have registered to vote in recent months to weigh in on a controversial proposal to install a turf field at Vito Capizzo Stadium. Most students seem to support the proposal. “I think it’s a really big opportunity to be able to voice my opinion,” high school senior Sadie Paterson told the Current. “Especially on something that I’ve been personally affected by.”

Test Vote, 5:07 p.m. | In a test vote, Town Meeting has opined 576-432 that the Red Sox will not “pull it together and have a halfway decent season.” The good news for the Red Sox is that this is a non-binding vote. While turnout may rise slightly as the night goes, we’re looking at something in the range of 10.1 percent of Nantucket’s registered voters in attendance. That’s a decrease from the 13.6 percent turnout at the STM last November, but up from the 7.8 percent turnout at Nantucket’s last ATM.

Meeting Start, 4:38 p.m. | We are officially underway at the Mary P. Walker auditorium, with some voters in the Nantucket High School gymnasium. Unlike last fall’s Special Town Meeting, this Town Meeting will be contained in just two rooms—and won’t feature any proposals related to short-term rentals.