Countdown to 2019 Annual Town Meeting and Annual Town Election

The 2019 Annual Town Meeting starts on Monday, April 1st at 6:00 pm at the Mary P. Walker Auditorium at Nantucket High School. Voters should be receiving warrants with Finance Committee and Planning Board Motions soon. The "Voter’s Guide to the Warrant Articles” is available on the Town website and copies are also available in the Town Administration office. The following are places to get more information about Town Meeting:

2019 Annual Town Meeting and Election.

The website contains:

• The Town Meeting & Election Warrant as adopted by the Select Board*
• The Town Meeting Warrant with Motions from the Finance Committee and Planning Board (this is the document that voters will receive in the mail)*
• Town of Nantucket YouTube Channel
• The Voter’s Guide to the Warrant Articles
• The Capital Program Committee’s Report on the Capital Articles

Meetings

New this Year!

• Drop In Q&A on Zoning Articles (not taped, casual) - Yesterday, Thursday, March 21/4:30 pm – 5:30 pm in the 4 Fairgrounds Community Room
• Drop In Q&A on Non Zoning/Non Citizen Articles (not taped, casual) - Thursday, March 28/4:30 pm – 5:30 pm in the 4 Fairgrounds Community Room
• Lunch & Learn with Jason Bridges at the Handlebar Café - Thursdays from 11:30 am to 1 pm
• Nantucket Civic League-sponsored annual “Meet the Articles” Forum – Saturday, March 23/1:00 pm – 3:00 pm in the 4 Fairgrounds Community Room, Town officials and others to explain and/or give views on warrant articles
• Nantucket Town Association – Tuesday, March 27/4:00 pm at Nantucket Atheneum, Town Manager overview of 2019 Annual Town Meeting
• Nantucket Rotary Club – Wednesday, March 28/Noon at Faregrounds Restaurant, Town Manager overview of 2019 Annual Town Meeting
• Neighborhood First Housing Program Information Session on Article 37 hosted by Ripple Effect Nantucket and Nantucket Atheneum

Radio

• Town Manager on “Town Talk” – 97.7 WACK-FM and 89.5 WNCK

Newspaper

• Inquirer & Mirror – “Road to Town Meeting” weekly series in the newspaper

*At different times in the Town Meeting preparation process, the “warrant” can mean a different document. The Select Board adopts a Town Meeting and Election Warrant which is meant to be a notice to voters as to everything that will be before them at Town Meeting and then, the Election. This typically happens mid to end of January. At this point, the warrant does not have any Motions. Those are developed subsequent to adoption; and, following necessary public hearings to give the public a chance to comment on the articles before the Motions are finalized. Once the Finance Committee and Planning Board have finalized their Motions, these are added into the warrant , which then becomes the document that we actually use at Town Meeting so that we can see the articles and Motions in one place. NOTE: I often hear people (including me sometimes) say “Article (#) was approved at town meeting”. Technically, the vote at Town Meeting is on the Motion made to the article. Sometimes, there is a difference between the article actually printed in the warrant - and the Motion. We try to make clear what that difference is, through a Comment or formatting means, such as strike-out or highlight. Also, after Town Meeting (or even during), if you want to know what happened with an article, you need to find out what the Vote was. Sometimes, the vote is not the same as the Motion because it was amended on the Floor or in a Technical Amendment.

The 2019 Annual Town Election is scheduled for Tuesday, April 9. Voting hours are 7:00 am – 8:00 pm at Nantucket High School.

A common question that we receive is “Why aren’t the amounts for the Debt Exclusions shown?” The answer is that Debt Exclusion language is strictly regulated by the state. Towns are not allowed to include the amounts. Towns also may not display or provide information about the amounts AT the election. The following is a list of the Town Meeting Warrant Articles that are contingent upon Debt Exclusions (NOTE: these are the amounts in the Finance Committee Motions – which are subject to change and are not final until voted at Town Meeting):

• Article 11 – Old South Road/Fairgrounds Intersection Area and Newtown Road Transportation Improvements - $5,200,000
• Article 13 – Town Pier (NOT KNOWN YET)
• Article 14 – Landfill Capping & Closure Costs - $14,000,000
• Article 15 – Supplemental Appropriation for Public Safety Auxiliary Building - $3,000,000
• Article 16 – In-town (Orange Street) Bike Path - $2,508,000
• Article 17 – Surfside Area Roads Reconstruction - $6,294,022
• Article 37 – Acquisition of Properties for Affordable Housing – TBD

Do you follow us on Social Media?