Storm Damage, Marijuana, Sharks: Oak Bluffs Voters Face 2 Town Meetings

In a special town meeting Tuesday evening, the town of Oak Bluffs is asking voters to approve nearly $121,000 for repairs and redesigns following damage by Hurricane Sandy and this year's February blizzard:

• Article 1 on the special town meeting warrant requests the transfer of $45,812.77 from the Insurance Recovery Account to the Wastewater Department emergency account, to pay for repairs and replacement of equipment damaged or destroyed in the storms.
• Article 2 seeks the transfer of $75,000 from the Stabilization Fund to the Emergency Engineering Design Account for engineering design services to repair coastal structures damaged in the storms.

The third article on the special town meeting warrant requests $426,000 to establish a town-owned fuel facility on the harbor.

Immediately after the special town meeting, required because it seeks to spend money in 2013, Oak Bluffs holds its annual town meeting with a 22-article warrant.

Both Oak Bluffs town meeting warrants, with appendices, are attached to this post.

As in Edgartown, which also holds its annual town meeting Tuesday, Oak Bluffs voters are considering a year-long moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries: It's Article 21, placed on the warrant at the request of the board of selectmen.

At a hearing Monday night, Oak Bluffs resident Jordan Wallace, who has formed a nonprofit corporation with the aim of becoming the Vineyard's medical marijuana dispenser, failed to convince the planning board to cut the proposed moratorium to six months.

Wallace's father Mark, a planning board member, recused himself from the hearing.

As in West Tisbury, the third Island town holding its town meeting Tuesday, Oak Bluffs voters also face a non-binding referendum placed on the ballot by petition.

But while West Tisbury's referendum, in support of a national gun-control bill, is largely symbolic, Article 22 in Oak Bluffs strikes at the heart of a controversial special event: It asks voters to decide whether "all shark fishing tournaments held in the town of Oak Bluffs shall be catch and release only."

Should the non-binding referendum pass? Should Oak Bluffs selectmen follow the voters' lead, whatever the result? Tell us in the comments.

The Oak Bluffs town meetings begin at 7 p.m. April 9, 2013 in the performing arts center at the high school.

Stay Patched in! Follow Martha's Vineyard Patch on Twitter | Like Martha's Vineyard Patch on Facebook | Sign up for the daily email with links to the latest news | Got something to say? Start a blog and share your views.