Select Board staff read a series of written responses on Aug. 6 to recent public inquiries covering the community impact fee for short‑term rentals, cellular service limitations on the island, the town’s website and agenda‑and‑minutes portal upgrade, and questions about a recent offshore wind blade failure.

Why it matters: The responses clarify the town’s authority and point residents to the correct agencies or procedures for enforcement and appeal.

On the community impact fee: The town’s written response said that while the Select Board voted to delay local implementation of a community impact fee, the Massachusetts Department of Revenue (DOR) has issued guidance stating the fee applies to all short‑term rental contracts commencing on or after the effective date, even if signed earlier. The town said it does not intend to challenge the DOR’s interpretation and directed operators who disagree to pursue the matter through MassTaxConnect.

On cell service: The town acknowledged cellular coverage limitations and said it has raised concerns with major carriers but does not own or operate cellular infrastructure. The statement explained that Nantucket’s zoning and geography restrict large towers and that carriers instead use distributed antenna systems mounted on utility poles; those antennas have limited range and may not be part of every carrier’s network. The town recommended residents contact their providers and noted coverage is better near areas with larger carrier installations.

On the website and agenda portal: The town said the Agenda & Minutes upgrade to a new CivicPlus configuration was prompted by storage limits and that meeting media were moved to an unlimited storage package to enable archiving into the town’s Laserfiche system and to meet upcoming ADA requirements. Because the change was time‑sensitive, staff did not run a public preview; the town acknowledged transition issues for some older packets, posted a how‑to video and is working with the vendor to restore missing or misformatted packets.

On offshore wind and blade failure questions: The town stated it has posted publicly available information about a blade failure on its website and that specific permitting and suspension records are in the custody of federal agencies; the town directed questions about the suspension order and investigations to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. The town has requested environmental assessment materials from federal agencies under the Freedom of Information Act and said it will share documents when final reports are released.

No board action was required; staff said they would continue posting updates online and responding to follow‑up inquiries.