Nantucket Finance Committee Chair On Next Week's Special Town Meeting

To the editor: This is a message to encourage all registered voters to attend the Special Town Meeting on November 4, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. at the Nantucket High School Auditorium. Your participation is essential.

This will be the 8th Town Meeting to debate and vote on short-term rental (STR) policy — an issue that continues to generate strong opinions across the island. STRs affect nearly every aspect of island life — from neighborhood character to local business activity and town revenue, both for daily operations and long-term planning.

In recent years, multiple proposals, interpretations, and legal challenges have led to significant uncertainty about what is and isn’t allowed under current zoning. This has left homeowners, renters, and enforcement officials alike without clear guidance. The articles before this Town Meeting aim to clarify the rules, ensuring that any future policy reflects the community’s will — not just legal ambiguity.

Clarity and consistency in zoning are vital to establish clear “rules of the road” for existing and future homeowners and support sound financial planning for the town of Nantucket.

The Finance Committee voted to support Article 1 as the clearest and most practical path to codify STRs within Nantucket’s zoning bylaw. Article 1 provides essential legal clarity and protects year-round leaseholders who currently lack zoning protections. Importantly, it does not limit the town’s ability to regulate STRs in the future through a general bylaw. The Committee has consistently supported this approach at prior Town Meetings as a balanced way to bring stability and predictability to property owners and the town alike.

The Finance Committee unanimously voted to not support Article 2. The proposal’s potential economic and enforcement impacts are uncertain and overly complex, posing unnecessary financial risk to town operations and, ultimately, to taxpayers. Before any such broad regulatory changes are considered, further analysis is needed to understand their full effect on Nantucket’s $1.95 billion local economy (source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis; please note this figure does not factor in real estate sales).

Decisions made at this meeting will have lasting fiscal and community impacts. You, the voters, are Nantucket’s legislature — the only body with the authority to fix this and provide clear direction for our community. Because these are zoning bylaw amendments, they will require a two-thirds majority vote to pass, a high threshold for future alterations or amendments.

Town Meeting is Nantucket’s purest form of local direct democracy. Please make time to attend and vote. Your voice — and your vote — truly matter.

Respectfully,

Jill Vieth
Finance Committee Chair

Editor's note: the Nantucket Finance Committee voted 4-3 to support Article 1.