HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-08-02
ADVISORY COMMITTEE OF NONVOTING TAXPAYERS
Minutes of meeting 10:00 A.M., SATURDAY, August 2,2008, in the
2 Fairgrounds Road Conference Room.
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1. Present: Lou Bassano, Howard Blitman, David Brown, Dennis Cro~, Rogeg
Ernst, Bill Sherman, Jay Strauss, and Jim Treanor together with guest (and potenf@1
member) Keith Curran and, shortly after startup, BOS Chair Mike Kopko - .Do
2. Chair Howard Blitman called the meeting to order at 10:05 a.m. The minutes::of
the 7/19/08 meeting were approved.:~
3. Noting that the ACNVT annual report for FY08 was due by 8/15/08, Jim Treanor
offered to assist Howard with its drafting. [Drafting by Jim completed by 8/5/08.]
4. David Brown reported the status of preparations for the Summer Forum.
Cosponsored by ACNVT with the Nantucket Community Association, the Forum is set
for Tuesday, August 19th, at 9:30 a.m. in the Great Hall of the Atheneum. To encourage
attendance, posters are in preparation and ads and hopefully calendar entries will
appear in the two newspapers. Presentations by the five selectmen plus Town Manager
will follow brief greetings from Dale Stood ley, President of NCA, and Howard for
ACNVT. Buzz Goodall of NCA will then moderate the Q&A portion. Lou Bassano urged
that more than 30 minutes be reserved for Q&A (with the Forum to end at 10:30 a.m.).
5. BOS Chair Mike Kopko offered enthusiastic support for the Summer Forum and
spoke positively of his and other selectmen participation in meetings of NCL area
associations, etc. to strengthen two-way communication with residents, summer as well
as year-round.
6. The BOS is concerned that Town revenue has not kept pace with needs.
Constrained by Proposition 2 1/2, the tax levy has in past years risen about 5% per year
(2 1/2% plus -2 1/2% based on growth), but costs have risen faster and growth is
slowing. Issues about overrides and possible layoffs may lie ahead. Upgrading
wastewater treatment is now much more difficult with the loss of federal funding,
previously as high as 95%. Resolution of Waste Options contract issues is an important
effort.
7. While the Town has not kept pace as to some personnel needs, notably support
for the Finance Director, the Town Manager has been strengthened through
professional development, Assistant Town Manager and the Police Chief through
successful recruiting. Town departments are under continuing evaluation and, where
needed, the possibility of restructuring is under consideration. The audit backlog of the
Finance Department will be resolved by 2009.
8. Lou recalled that ACNVT was created [by the 1991 Town Meeting] when
summer residents were deeply concerned about the real estate tax exemption accorded
to year-round homeowners. Allowed under state law, this put an extra burden on
summer-resident taxpayers, whose Nantucket property is often their greatest asset. He
also spoke of open Town Meeting as archaic, especially in dealing with zoning
amendments. The alternative of Representative Town Meeting would give too much
power to residents in the densely-settled town district, according to Bill Sherman, at the
expense of other areas. Mike characterizes an RTM as like a 30-person BOS. Lou also
was troubled by voting rights given the transient workforce whose commitment to
Nantucket could be less than for summer residents. An answer is for summer residents,
where possible, to become Nantucket residents qualified to vote here. The possibility of
summer residents here having limited voting rights as those in Connecticut have on
certain fiscal issues has not been fully resolved, perhaps barred by the MA Constitution.
9. Howard expressed concern about growth not being managed well, e.g., with lax
code enforcement. While the situation could be improved with staff personnel more
attuned to enforcement, changes on the part of long-term members of regulatory boards
not appointed by the BOS could make more of a difference. When properly developed,
an ACNVT concern could be put on the formal agenda of the BOS for discussion.
Howard suggested the possibility of an ACNVT subcommittee to look into that. Mike
suggested that the ACNVT might also get involved with those boards dealing with
issues particular to them, not just with the BOS. ACNVT could encourage summer
residents with professional experience and skills to make them available where needed
by the Town.
10. One concern related to alternative funding sources for the Town presents
especially vexing issues, that of levying a local business tax on the rental of residences
(in addition to state and federal rental income tax). While authorized elsewhere, e.g., by
Florida, Massachusetts has relatively strong real estate interests effectively blocking
enabling legislation for a seasonal vacation home rental tax. Efforts to extend the MA
room occupancy tax from guest houses to short-term home rentals have been thwarted.
The Town Health Officer Richard Ray has long expressed concern about unsafe and
unhealthy home rentals, but efforts to set up a licensing and inspection program have
been stymied. Revenue from licensing would be needed to hire inspection staff. Similar
efforts in the past to require contractor licenses to assure safe construction, etc. have
been blocked, although anecdotal reports about unsatisfactory construction by off-island
builders might better have been acted upon if licensing were in place.
11. As a further resource for needed affordable housing, the housing bank proposed
in pending legislation was commended. Without adequate resources for the Town to
satisfy the need, more 40B projects can be expected. Howard spoke again of potential
MA grant money for such housing.
12. The next meeting was set for August 16th, with hope that Planning Director
Andrew Vorce might come.
13. The meeting was adjourned at 11 :06 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Bill Sherman, Secretary
Agenda items carried over to other summer 2008 ACNVT meetings:
· Summer Resident Forum for August 19, 2008 - and 2009, etc.?
· Code enforcement
· Zoning for secondary dwellings
· Zoning to curb clearing all native vegetation from a development site
Auto limitation, is it on the agenda of the Downtown Revitalization Committee?
· Meeting with NHA and NHO representatives about on-island housing
· Position on legislation to extend the guest house room occupancy tax to vacation
home rentals, or other alternative Town revenue sources
· Developing ACNVT website