HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-9-1ADVISORY COMMITTEE OF NONVOTING TAXPAYERS
Minutes of meeting 10 A.M., SATURDAY, September 1, 2019"16t;
4 Fairgrounds Road
1. Attending: Lou Bassano, Howard Blitman, Gary Beller, Bill
Gardner, Don Green, Peter Halle, Peter Kahn, Sue Matloff, and Bill
Sherman; guest speaker Allen Reinhard. Members absent: Jay
Strauss and Tony Walsh.
2. Absent our Chair Jay Strauss, Vice -Chair Don Green called the
meeting to order at 10:12 a.m. and declared a quorum present. The
agenda of the meeting was approved and proposed minutes of
August 18, 2018 adopted. Our guest was welcomed.
3. Don invited nominations successively for ACNVT Chair, Vice -
Chair and Secretary. In response, Don Green was nominated for
Chair, Gary Beller for Vice -Chair and Bill Sherman for Secretary.
With no further nominations and upon motion duly made, seconded
and passed, the Secretary was instructed to enter election of the
nominees by unanimous vote.
4. Bill circulated two papers: (1) Select Board Strategic Planning
Goals and (2) "Outlook" a sheet of island data as of June 30, 2018.
The latter prompted a suggestion that members have a look at the
https website NantucketDataPlatform.com offering island data
analytics from a nonprofit [e.g., a download of Effective
Population Study, a daily population profile]. A presentation of
island analytics [by Nantucket Data Platform founder Alan
Worden] will be offered at the annual meeting of the Nantucket
Civic League, 4 p.m. on Tuesday, September 4 at the Sconset
Casino.
5. Allen Reinhard recalled that ACNVT was established by Town
Meeting in response to the vote of then Board of Selectmen to
enable year-round resident taxpayers to benefit from an exclusion
from their taxable real estate assessment equal to 20% of the
average of all residential assessments. Having lived some 28 years
as a year-round resident after a time as seasonal -resident property
owner, Allen appreciates the reduced tax levy.
6. Allen served as Secretary to the Town and County Charter
Commission, with Bill its Chair, to create the first charters for
island government setting out roles, powers, etc. The two charters
were crafted to assure continuance of the County with a strong
identity, fitting it well with the predominating Town government.
The state at that time was moving to eliminate MA counties.
Nantucket is now one of eight following elimination of seven,
whereas the Town is one of 351. If the state were to take over
Nantucket County as it did those other seven, the state would end
up with ownership of island roads now owned by the County and
the responsibility to maintain them.
7. Allen [who has served as Civic League President) recalled an NCL
study finding some 43 Town entities reliant on volunteers, an
unusual level. Most are open to appointment of seasonal residents.
8. Following his 1995 election and service on the Charter
Commission, Allen was appointed to the Roads and Right -of -Way
Committee and served as Chair. That stirred his historical interests
particularly in Proprietors Ways. The Committee has gotten 36
granite monuments and —12 flush monuments sited to mark public
ways, many not previously evident.
9. In 2005 Allen served as Chair of the first Town Government Study
Committee. Of 9 warrant articles it recommended, one was
adopted, but —31 of 39 recommendations have actually been
implemented. This was noted in context of an 8/30/18 meeting of
the second Town Government Study Committee that Allen and Bill
attended. Suggested by them was a more active role of the Board of
County Commissioners as envisioned in the County Charter. The
Town and County Charters mandate a different Chair and Vice -
Chair for the respective bodies.
IO.Allen is serving his 16th year as a Land Bank Commissioner,
regarding that entity as having a high impact on the island.
11.As a selectman, Allen confronted a heavy schedule of meetings and
high -visibility issues, e.g., stabilizing Sherburne Commons, the
Waste Options operation of the landfill, and Myles Ries' proposal
to export C&D debris.
12.On the question of retaining Nantucket's open Town Meeting form
of government, he noted its historic origins in the Mayflower
Compact and the strong preference of Nantucketers accustomed to
voicing their opinions. Typically, of 8,000 registered voters,
perhaps 400 — 500 attend. Only Special Town Meetings require a
quorum. If representative Town Meeting were adopted, RTMs
typically would meet monthly. With island population now above
10,000, state laws allow alternatives including a town mayor.
13.Lou Bassano affirmed support for open Town Meeting as a purer
form of democracy. Don saw representative Town Meeting as
presenting issues of defining precincts and selecting
representatives. Per Allen, arguably the choice between open and
representative forms is between purest and more efficient forms.
Open Town Meeting is "ingrained in the community." NCL has
long viewed the local legislation issue as basically a matter of voter
education, an educated electorate being a key to good governance.
14.Particularly trying for Town Meeting voters are the complexities of
zoning, first adopted in 1972 by the Town in response to concerns
about Tristam's Landing and NCL efforts and with compromises to
get voter approval. The R5 zone, a compromise allowing 5,000 SF
lots, is almost gone but secondary homes allowed on a lot [perhaps
nowhere else in the U.S.] are not restricted to the originally
intended purpose. With intense development, traffic is increasingly
getting worse.
15.Allen said that ACNVT and summer residents have the ear of Town
officials. The Summer Forum sponsored by the Nantucket
Community Association [and no longer co-sponsored by ACNVT]
was commended by Allen as a great way to get answers to summer
residents' concerns. To be effective, summer residents could gain
by spelling out with greater clarity the issue of concern and their
proposed solution.
16.Responding to Howard Blitman's question, Don said that he would
appoint a representative to speak at Town Meeting on behalf of
summer residents. To this end, motion was made by Bill Sherman,
seconded and duly passed authorizing Don as ACNVT Chair to
arrange representation of ACNVT at Town Meeting and any
preceding FinCom meetings, to speak in keeping with the
consensus of ACNVT views about any relevant warrant article.
17.Howard also expressed belief that summer residents should respect
the restriction to voting in one jurisdiction only and choose the
jurisdiction of one's domicile. Bill recalled that Town Moderator
Sarah Alger had much concern that the views of summer residents
would be voiced at the 2018 Annual Town Meeting, given the
disproportionate impact of the Hickler article on their real estate tax
levy.
18.Re affordable housing, Gary expressed support for the pending
Home Rule Petition to allow imposition of a 112% fee on real estate
transfers (similar to the 2% Land Bank fee) to augment funding for
affordable housing. Lou called attention to an ad hoc Town
committee chaired by Ericka Mooney to recommend uses for the
current site of the Fire Department, after it has been moved to 4
Fairgrounds Road. A dormitory on the site could accommodate
employees of the Town or other employers. Bill thought better to
sell and use proceeds to buy an existing unwinterized guesthouse to
convert to summer housing. Code enforcement is needed to
eliminate substandard housing for seasonal employees, Lou said.
19.Responding to a comment that conservation land could be used to
address affordable housing needs, Allen explained that island land
in conservation can't be converted to housing uses. One reason is
that a supermajority vote of the Massachusetts legislature would be
needed, very unlikely. Such land is now open to many public uses,
miles of trails and beaches. The Land Bank, mindful of housing
needs, can suggest division of property bought for conservation, the
seller to divide off what best serves for housing. Howard noted
Land Council acquisitions transferred to land conservation entities.
20.Surfside Crossing, a 40B project, raises many issues. Notably, the
infrastructure to provide public sewer and water would be taxed if
the proposed high density were built.
21.Don suggested trying an informal Zoom get-together off-season.
22.The meeting was adjourned at 11:33 a.m.
23.Respectfully submitted,
Bill Sherman, Secretary
Draft minutes e -distributed 9/8/18. Minutes adopted 6/29/19,
posted 7/3/19 and hard copy submitted to Town Clerk 7/8/19