Boffo Town Meeting in Aquinnah

Nearly 80 Aquinnah voters practiced their particular version of participatory democracy at the annual town meeting (ATM) last night, approving a $3 million budget, then diving down the bureaucratic rabbit hole to rescue a neighbor now as stuck as Alice ever was in Wonderland.

The combination of  level budget funding and a host of warrant article amendments fund 2012 with about $170,000 in free cash, rather than tax appropriations. That means taxes will not go up in Aquinnah, and theoretically could go down, selectman Camille Rose said after the three and one-half hour meeting, which considered 10 special town meeting warrant articles and 30 ATM warrant articles.

Voters overwhelmingly approved 36 of those articles, 10 with amendments, and tabled two. Two others required no action.

Community preservation committeeman Richard Skidmore, outlining the need for $20,000 to repair or restore the Aquinnah Lighthouse in the event of emergency, had arresting news. “I have to forewarn you that we are losing land fast around the lighthouse,” said Skidmore. Erosion has eaten away 10 feet of land between the lighthouse and the cliff in three years, he reported. He warned voters that he might return next year with a plan to move the lighthouse.

“If that's necessary, we will be asking all the towns to contribute CPA [state-provided Conservation Preservation Act] funds. We don't have the resources to do this alone,” he warned.

Residents rallied enthusiastically around Geoffrey (Spa) Tharpe, who has spent seven years in search of tax abatements on his homestead property. Town officials have agreed the abatements were due Tharpe and current assessor Angela Cywinski parted the red tape enough to get three years worth of abatements to him. However, drawn-out conversations with prior town assessors had put Tharpe, unknowingly, outside the three year state limit on abatement recovery.

The warrant article asked voters authorize the town to pay Tharpe the $4,954.90. But moments before the ATM, he learned that the state wouldn't allow it, he said.

Town counsel Ron Rappaport was busy handling suggestions from the floor. “Hire him for a day and pay him the $4,900,” said one. “Give him a break on his taxes going forward,” suggested another. Rappaport then offered the Home Rule cudgel. Home rule laws allow municipalities to petition the legislature to pass a law for their particular situation. Home rule was invoked to clear the way for Aquinnah's recent liquor license. Everyone liked that idea, so Tharpe's case may be trudging up to Beacon Hill for redress.

An uncomfortable moment accompanied dialogue around an article that would loosen zoning restrictions to create affordable housing lots. Derrill Bazzy explained that the article would allow three-acre lots to be subdivided to provide a one-acre affordable lot, rather than the four acres currently required to piece off a one-acre lot.

One voter cautioned that creating affordable lots would result in more education costs and impact tax bills. Bazzy took a moment. “I'm sorry,” he said after a pause. "I'm a little upset here. I think there is no better investment than our children.”

“I agree with you,” the voter countered. “I'm just worried about being able to pay my taxes,” she said.

Voters approved the plan with an amendment that insured that both the affordable lot and the remaining lot would meet all existing board of health and zoning rules.

Voters did not go for Article 28, a perennial offering by the selectmen to reduce the 10 percent quorum of voters (currently 39) to six percent, about 24 voters. Wendy Swolinzky and Barbara Bassett, longtime members of the loyal opposition at the ATM, were having none of it.

“Every year you put this on the warrant and every year we vote it down. How long will  it take you to understand that we won't ever pass it?” she asked the selectmen. Both she and Bassett argued that a smaller quorum represented too much power in too few hands. “Well,” said selectman Jim Newman puckishly, “it sure gets people out [for the meeting]."

Michael Stutz moved to table the article to spontaneous laughter and approval. Stutz was aware  his motion was a veiled reference to the 30th and final article, calling for elimination of tabling, a strategy that limits debate on an article.

The "table” article was expected to raise hackles, but Newman, in a kabuki moment, said, with a grin, “I move we table it.” The voters did, then headed for the door.

They will return to town hall today for town elections between noon and 7 p.m. Rose and former Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) chairman Beverly Wright vie for a three-year term as selectman in the only contested race.