Nantucket study committee finalizes report, members debate next steps and outreach for proposed town council

The Town Council Study Committee of the Town of Nantucket agreed Wednesday to finish edits to its final report and submit it to the select board, while debating whether to pursue a citizen-led article to put a town council proposal before voters at a future town meeting.

Committee chair Curtis (committee member) said he would finalize the draft, incorporate members’ edits and deliver the report to the select board. "I will make that commitment to the committee ... I'm gonna prepare a citizen's article to bring this back to, the next, annual town meeting," he said. Several members said they were prepared to help with outreach if a citizen petition moved forward.

The discussion centered on how much additional outreach, resources and time would be required before asking voters to adopt a town council form of government. Members who previously supported taking a "sense of the meeting" vote said that the committee had not completed the planned outreach and that asking voters again without a substantial education campaign would likely fail.

Curtis opened the meeting by asking members to submit edits so the report could be sent to Libby and the select board. Committee members noted the report already documents the group's work, including two draft charters produced with the Collins Center, but several members urged adding a brief concluding section and suggested referencing the committee's public sessions and the full meeting recordings for readers who want more detail.

Several members recommended formation of a new, citizen-led working group to handle the outreach and education that members said was lacking in the committee's prior campaign. "I think forming some sort of a citizen working group to support the submission of an article ... I think you need some help," a committee member said. Members emphasized professional communications might be necessary for a complex governance change; one member suggested an objective evaluation or short informational film to explain the proposal.

Practical steps discussed included securing signatures for a citizen article (one member said "Do we still only need 10 voters to get an article?"), beginning outreach in March or April before a May town meeting, and raising money for communications. Several members warned a rushed schedule — filing in November for a May warrant — would leave too little time for effective public education. "If you start and you file in November ... you're gonna need resources to do it. But to get it done in that time frame, I think it's gonna be extraordinarily difficult," one member said.

Committee members also debated whether the select board should lead future outreach. Most suggested a citizens' committee, independent of the select board, would be preferable. Members repeatedly stressed the difference between discussion/direction and a formal action: the committee agreed to finalize and submit its report; it did not vote to place a binding article on a warrant or to ask the select board to do so.

The meeting concluded with routine procedural votes. The committee voted to accept the meeting agenda at the start and later voted to adjourn after agreeing next steps for editing and submission.

Members said they would email final edits to the drafter, who would consolidate redlines and send the finished report to the select board within days. The group did not set a formal schedule for follow-up beyond a possible brief remote meeting to approve the final version if needed.

The committee's report, its two draft charters produced with the Collins Center, and recordings of the public sessions are to be submitted to the select board for its consideration; committee members said those materials should be available to the public for review.

Votes at a glance - Motion to accept the agenda: adopted (mover/second not specified). Recorded outcome: unanimous "Aye." - Motion to adjourn: adopted (mover/second not specified). Recorded outcome: unanimous "Aye."