Nantucket Town Government Roundup, August 21 - September 19

After taking a week off in the doldrums of late August, the Current’s government roundup is back with new information on a contract for Nantucket’s firefighters and the Historic District Commission’s efforts to deter demolitions by increasing fines.

• Warrant articles the Planning Board is considering for next spring’s Annual Town Meeting include changes to how the town handles accessory dwelling units, alterations to the elder housing bylaw, and potentially a move to address loopholes in the town’s partial ban on chain stores.
• Capping a major membership reshuffle, the Board of Health now has a new chair in Select Board representative Bob DeCosta. The Board of Health also has a new vice chair, artificial turf advocate and ER nurse Kate Garrette.
• At a recent meeting, the Historic District Commission further discussed how it issues fines. This has been a major topic of discussion for the HDC in recent months. No significant changes were made at the meeting, but it underscores the strong interest the HDC still has in adjusting its fines to further disincentivize unapproved demolitions.
• The Affordable Housing Trust is issuing a request for proposals for the redevelopment of 71 Surfside Road, a lot the Trust purchased years ago.
• The Select Board approved a new three-year agreement with the local firefighters union. The island’s firefighters will receive a 3 percent pay bump next year, followed by 4 percent the following year.
• Aleesha Nunley Benjamin, the town’s new finance director, will receive a salary of $222,000. That’s essentially the same as former finance director Brian Turbitt’s most recent salary of $222,010.
• The Historic District Commission also suggested that further discussions could be coming soon on another controversial topic: deer fences.
• Brian Sullivan and Penny Dey were reappointed as the chair and vice chair of the Affordable Housing Trust.

And here are the local government stories we’ve covered in full over the last month:

• The School Committee officially adopted policies limiting the pool of students eligible to ride the bus as the district’s bus driver shortage continues. But a resolution may finally be on the horizon: the Nantucket Regional Transit Authority is assisting with the transportation of some students, and school administration is working on a contract with a new operator for the buses.
• The Select Board instructed the police department to remove the controversial Flock cameras at the intersection of Broad and Easy Street after an outpouring of public opposition.
• After the sewer department’s reserve fund collapsed under the weight of increased costs and decreased demand resulting from the drought that has gripped the island over the last year, the Select Board reluctantly voted to increase sewer rates by 20 percent, with another $10 per month fee tacked on top and an additional 5 percent increase to the tiered usage rates that affect heavier users.
• The Select Board declined to formally pledge support for another Town Meeting article seeking to expand the controversial geotube installation along the Sconset Bluff, though some members suggested that an endorsement is likely at a later date. The discussion came after the state issued a critical letter about the expansion.
• The Select Board rejected a request to lift a restriction on short-term rentals in the Richmond Great Point affordable housing development.
• A Nantucket Cottage Hospital expansion plan, which includes 48 employee housing units, faced some criticism from the Planning Board related to parking and the location of buildings.
• The Select Board approved filming scenes from the feature film “A Woman in the Sun” on Nantucket.
• A draft of Nantucket’s new master plan is available for public comment.
• Deputy police chief Charlie Gibson is now being compensated at around $270,000 a year after receiving another extension from the Select Board.
• Most of Amelia Drive will at least temporarily become a one-way street following a Select Board vote.
• Robert Galibois defeated Mike Giardino in the democratic primary for another term as Cape and Islands district attorney. Nantucket voters backed Galibois, as well as fellow incumbents Senator Ed Markey and Representative Bill Keating.
• Finance Committee chair and Maria Mitchell Association executive director Joanna Roche resigned from the Coastal Resilience Advisory Committee. In her resignation letter, she raised concerns about the committee’s evolving role advising the Conservation Commission and creating social media content for the town.
• The Affordable Housing Trust’s new year-round rental preservation program, known as Rooted Renters, has officially launched.
• The School Committee endorsed a testing regimen for the artificial turf field slated for installation at Vito Capizzo Stadium.
• For the third time in four months, the Select Board is appointing new members to key local boards and committees after the last round of appointments created new vacancies on the Capital Program Committee and Planning Board.
• The Board of Health opted not to suspend La Republica Mini Market’s licenses after repeated health code violations because the market has since come into compliance.
• The Select Board suspended the Westmoor Club’s liquor license for one day after the Club allowed members to take open containers of alcohol off of the licensed premises.