With the annual town meeting and election rapidly approaching, West Tisbury selectmen continued to hammer out details for potential beer and wine regulations this week, and learned of a few sticking points that may impact restaurants and one-day license applicants.

A town ballot question this year asks voters whether selectmen should grant beer and wine licenses to restaurants and inns, and one-day licenses for special events. A separate petitioned article on the town meeting warrant asks only whether selectmen should issue one-day beer and wine licenses for events. It is the last article of the warrant.

Selectmen said they are looking to Aquinnah’s beer and wine regulations as a guide for possible town regulations, and are modifying them to meet the town’s needs. At their weekly meeting Wednesday, they settled on several details of the regulations: Seasonal licenses would allow for the sale of beer and wine from April 1 to Dec. 1; pitchers of beer would not be allowed; restaurant employees would be required to go through special training; and those who wish to order beer and wine must also order a complete meal — bar snacks do not count. Restaurants could serve beer and wine only between the hours of 11 a.m. and 11 p.m., except for New Year’s Eve, when the last drink can be served at 1 a.m.

There are currently three restaurants vying for beer and wine licenses in town: Lambert’s Cove Inn, State Road Restaurant and the Plane View. The inn is frequently rented out for weddings, but town administrator Jennifer Rand said that according to state law, the inn could offer only beer and wine and could not have private parties bring in their own liquor if they were to obtain a beer and wine license. If the inn does not obtain a license, it can continue to have a bring-your-own policy.

The selectmen decided to include a clause in the regulations that any establishment that does not have a license can continue to operate on the bring-your-own policy.

Details behind one-day licenses also emerged at the meeting. Ms. Rand reported that one-day licenses require alcohol be purchased, delivered and picked up by a state approved wholesaler, which tends to take three days rather than one. There are no state approved wholesalers on the Island and the closest is in Hyannis. The license holders also are required to store the alcohol on the property where the function is being held.

“Whether beer and wine passes at the ballot or not, what I suspect in practice will happen is nothing will change from the way it is today, because it is not practical to have nonprofits getting a wholesaler here,” Ms. Rand said.

Selectman Richard Knabel characterized the requirement as “just about as ridiculous a situation as I’ve ever seen.”

Selectman Cynthia Mitchell recommended adding a clause that would exempt organizations which would rather supply their own. Ms. Mitchell said the petitioners of the articles may choose not to have the article acted on given the new findings.

“My understanding is we have an article by petition on the warrant asking if the town wants to pass only one-day licenses,” she said. “Those petitioners should get a load of what the rules are, because maybe they would rather not have it be passed.”

In other business, the selectmen appointed Justen Ahren as the new West Tisbury poet laureate. Mr. Ahren has a master in fine arts from Emerson College and established the Martha’s Vineyard Writer’s Residency program in 2007. Mr. Ahren follows in the footsteps of former poet laureates Dan Waters and Fan Ogilvie.