Tisbury Voters Endorse Formula for Allocating Ferry Fee Revenue

By MAX HART

Tisbury voters breezed through special town meeting Tuesday night,
approving each of the 12 warrant articles with relative ease. The hard
part was getting them to show up.

SRC="http://www.mvgazette.com/news/2006/03/31/content/tis_stm_bugbee_medders_sm.jpg"
WIDTH="180" HEIGHT="276"
ALT="Photo" BORDER="2" ALIGN="right"
VSPACE="6" HSPACE="6">

In the end 106 voters turned out to the Tisbury School gymnasium,
but not until nearly half an hour passed while waiting to reach quorum.
Finally moderator Deborah Medders called the meeting to order at 7:58
p.m.

It was a quiet start to the Vineyard's town meeting season.

Once under way, Tisbury voters were in little mood to talk. The
first five articles on the floor were approved unanimously with no
discussion. By the close of the evening, nine of the 12 articles had
been approved unanimously and without comment. All were nonappropriating
measures.

They included electing Charles Conroy, Janet Messineo and Ronald
Rose to the fish committee, adopting a nonbinding resolution to support
water quality protection and amending the classification and
compensation plan for full-time town employees. Several of the articles
were strictly procedural, including authorizing the treasurer to borrow
money in anticipation of revenue, allowing the town to obtain bonds and
permitting the board of health to enter into mutual aid agreements with
other governmental units.

SRC="http://www.mvgazette.com/news/2006/03/31/content/tis_stm_israel_laporte_sm.jpg"
WIDTH="200" HEIGHT="130"
ALT="Photo" BORDER="2" ALIGN="right"
VSPACE="6" HSPACE="6">

As expected, the article to approve a formula for spending
Tisbury's share of the embarkation fee revenue dominated what
little discussion there was. This year the town took in more than
$276,000 from the fee, a 50-cent surcharge that is tacked onto the price
of each one-way passenger ticket on ferries that ply the routes between
the Cape and Islands. It is collected by the ferry operators and paid to
the town where the trip originated.

State legislation mandates that the money be spent on public safety,
harbor services and port infrastructure improvements; any expenditures
are subject to approval on town meeting floor.

Under consideration Tuesday was a proposal to divide the revenue
among four areas of concern: 20 per cent for Steamship Authority
terminal area beautification, 30 per cent for safety equipment and
operations, 20 per cent for infrastructure and 30 per cent for capital
expenditures.

Ms. Medders introduced the article and immediately amended it to
reflect two late changes: the allocation for safety equipment and
operations was reduced to 25 per cent, and the one for capital
expenditures was increased to 35 per cent. Town administrator John
Bugbee explained the changes as well as the process for coming up with
the formula.

"This is a comprehensive approach to spending the
money," Mr. Bugbee said. "It is a one-year plan that allows
flexibility if we want to readdress it next year. We feel the terminal
is the gateway to the Island, and I think everyone agrees it is in need
of beautification."

SRC="http://www.mvgazette.com/news/2006/03/31/content/tis_stm_john_thayer_sm.jpg"
WIDTH="200" HEIGHT="130"
ALT="Photo" BORDER="2" ALIGN="right"
VSPACE="6" HSPACE="6">

The specific expenditures include new police vehicles, new motors
for the harbor master's boat and funding for increased traffic
officer presence in the Water and Union street areas. Voters will decide
whether to approve the spending at the annual town meeting next Tuesday.

Several voters expressed concern for how the formula was created.

Catherine Mayhew wondered how it would impact police presence in the
area. John Thayer asked how the money would be reallocated should it not
all be spent. And planning board chairman L. Anthony Peak argued that
the legislation behind the embarkation fee was meant to defray the costs
of being a port town - and said he would rather see the money go
toward reducing the town operating budget.

Finance committee chairman George Balco and selectmen Tristan Israel
and Raymond LaPorte reiterated that the money was limited to the scope
of the legislation and not meant for extraneous spending. After Mr.
Israel assured voters that the town was interpreting the legislation as
liberally as possible within the confines of the law, the amended
article was approved unanimously.

SRC="http://www.mvgazette.com/news/2006/03/31/content/tis_stm_tony_peak_sm.jpg"
WIDTH="200" HEIGHT="130"
ALT="Photo" BORDER="2" ALIGN="right"
VSPACE="6" HSPACE="6">

Voters also authorized the town to dispose of the fire
department's 45-year-old ladder truck and approved a four per cent
raise for seasonal employees. Mr. Bugbee said the wage increase would
keep the town competitive when it came to attracting summer help and
retaining previous temporary employees. He said the raise reflects
increases other towns have made in their wages.

The town will gather again next week for its annual town meeting.
That meeting begins at 7:30 p.m., also at the Tisbury School gymnasium.