[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6369825,"mediaKeyId","2154129-3e92b725bd758b5d54864d68e6b7b06e","parentId",2154129,"title","Finance committee backs charter amendment to allow electronic public notice option","audioSeconds",363,"startMs",1135000,"endMs",1498000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2154129-3e92b725bd758b5d54864d68e6b7b06e&start=1135&end=1498","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2154129-3e92b725bd758b5d54864d68e6b7b06e/thumbnail_1135000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6369825/Nantucket-County/Massachusetts/Finance-committee-backs-charter-amendment-to-allow-electronic-public-notice-option","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6369825-a3a370cab10fcb22b1d1912727f44c51/orig.mp4?Expires=1771147850&Signature=WYBoawt1R1EXNLFUfUXgGwoaAWbMceivp4GBk52FMlh3kY7Nf54Feh8ja3bxeHPey5S5ZW3qzz8LQ6C8dZJ6t-x6A5hZGLvjXE9zRLr-QRAt~EYT~uvZGKYiYe-epp1kGepOxeO5G0TVy2kprTPk-31ShxWN2srf08RVQ4u3ag5hZah05dWqDSGnZSAAyIOxvX9TZMedXSSgvjoFUFxTEvJSoPt8lGjYhr5RI4sBB4hlLJ4gqq7TuK76HIbFjqfG0JS4QFTDSBs4lyyLbyDsng5sxGIKR8-i~teQub1pYZMQmWlkPjtCJfnN29wOeG6FpPwKG1khmZcQO0RjnQEu4Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Town-County of Nantucket, MA","date","2025-01-27T00:00:00Z","article","Jason (petitioner) presented citizen warrant Article V at the Jan. 3, 2025 meeting of the Town of Nantucket Finance Committee, asking the committee to recommend a charter change to permit the town to publish certain legally required public notices and hearing advertisements in an electronic medium in addition to the newspaper.

Jason said he drafted the article after seeing many legal notices in the Inquirer & Mirror and worrying about residents who miss the print notices. \"People get information in different places, these days, electronically,\" he said, and the charter amendment would \"provide another option to reach an audience that may or may not be reading the newspaper.\"

Committee members asked about potential cost impacts and whether state law would still require print publication for some notices. Peter (finance committee member) asked if the change would increase costs; Jason replied it \"could choose to do it in the newspaper still\" and might save money depending on contracts. John Georgiou (attorney) cautioned that the amendment would apply only to notices required locally, not to those required by state law. He offered the finance committee the example of the finance committee's own public hearing on citizen warrant articles as a hearing that could be advertised under a local provision in a nonnewspaper medium.

Committee members generally supported the option. Rob and Steven noted that readership is shifting away from print and favored providing another channel; town administration had reviewed the proposal and concluded the overall cost and benefit were likely \"a wash\" because some notices will remain governed by statute and require print publication.

Peter moved to recommend adoption of Article V; Jeremy seconded. The committee took a roll-call vote and voted unanimously to recommend adoption. Denise thanked Jason; the motion carried without dissent.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Nantucket Finance Committee-01/23/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Finance Committee unanimously recommended adoption of a citizen warrant Article V that would allow the town to publish required local public hearing notices in an electronic medium as an alternative to print newspaper notices, while excluding notices that state law still requires to appear in a newspaper of general circulation.","taxTitle","Nantucket County, Massachusetts","taxId",61456,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6369831,"Finance committee votes not to adopt citizen article seeking to rescind housing borrowing authority",1090,42000,1132000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2154129-3e92b725bd758b5d54864d68e6b7b06e&start=42&end=1132","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2154129-3e92b725bd758b5d54864d68e6b7b06e/thumbnail_42000.jpg","/articles/6369831/Nantucket-County/Massachusetts/Finance-committee-votes-not-to-adopt-citizen-article-seeking-to-rescind-housing-borrowing-authority","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6369831-3014abf49dde76b731ad24036d90eb56/orig.mp4?Expires=1771147850&Signature=kHmQI1~iQboKPGiX1tLpMjLhw1Zni2LZc810i3tIKx7h-VEwRuOWGEbPMtQksU6a0MR94nW78rff8XMHh~Bw7sCud7t31qW99-FlCxUaVldkeAzrDi-AmIPJlW~MTORme1V2NY9ubGoDvTEHCkMivYHIHWB8MFq7FiVjvcVC3bKdtRCkKeS-09a-h8OVPfPoE0hAsnAfkBzdA2pBXcEAMgIUf8aKgMxWo4xWccUgnvcswIrKIHPQIuODX24tpTJYYrxG67nI6DQelyrVb-dJKVwI3LmRSaDq-1nITCilH2OTG1H5apLNaprkoSMoFXbLZepCoURZsZva25lPQLAFIQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","DENISE (finance committee chair) opened the Jan. 3, 2025, remote meeting of the Town of Nantucket Finance Committee to consider citizen warrant Article D, a petition seeking to \"rescind unused borrowing authority\" tied to the Affordable Housing Trust. The committee voted unanimously not to adopt a positive recommendation for the article.

The article was presented by Toby (resident), who told the committee he and other taxpayers were concerned about rising taxes, perceived slow progress and what he called a lack of accountability on trust-funded projects, citing the Wiggles Way development as an example. \"I just feel like that that would be [for] the affordable trust, to come to town meeting and let everybody know how good progress is going or not going and let the voters decide,\" Toby said.

John Georgiou (attorney) advised the committee that the petition as written was not in proper legal form and could not change the town's existing levy-limit arrangements. Georgiou said the appropriation Toby described had been implemented as part of an override that created a permanent increase in the town's levy limit (and then is adjusted annually), rather than as borrowing authority that could be rescinded at town meeting. He told the committee the only mechanism under Massachusetts' Proposition 2\u000bD's framework to reverse a permanent levy increase is an underride ballot question placed by the Select Board, not by a citizen petition at town meeting.

Georgiou explained: \"The only way that can be undone is through what's called an underride, which is a ballot question that essentially would reduce the levy limit by whatever the amount of the increase pursuant to that override...and the only way under Proposition 2\u000bD'that you can initiate an underride vote is by a vote of the Select Board and the placement of an underride vote on the election ballot. But that cannot be done by petition.\" He also noted that the article appeared to refer to rescinding borrowing authority that had not been voted and that any bonds already sold or backed by the town would remain general obligations the town must service.

Toby asked whether the article could still appear on the warrant and be referred to the Attorney General. Denise answered that the article would remain on the warrant and that the Finance Committee must make a recommendation to the town meeting floor; Georgiou added that the Attorney General does not review citizen petition warrant articles in this way and that the Select Board would be the route for an underride petition.

After discussion, Peter (finance committee member) moved that the committee vote not to adopt the citizen article; Joe (finance committee member) seconded. The committee then took a roll-call vote and the motion carried unanimously.

The chair thanked Toby for his civic engagement and encouraged future use of select board citizen-petition meeting hours for legal clarity before circulating an article.

Less-critical meeting items that followed included routine scheduling and the rescheduling of other citizen articles; those items did not change the committee's action on Article D.","The Nantucket Finance Committee unanimously voted Jan. 3, 2025, not to adopt a citizen warrant article that sought to rescind unused borrowing authority tied to the town's affordable housing trust, after the committee's attorney said the article was legally defective and could not achieve the petitioner's goal.","actionData","errors"]

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Finance committee backs charter amendment to allow electronic public notice option

Finance committee votes not to adopt citizen article seeking to rescind housing borrowing authority