Nantucket town council study committee outlines proposed nine-member council, committee discusses stipend and timeline

The Nantucket Finance Committee on April 10 heard a briefing from the Town Council Study Committee on a nonbinding article that will appear at Annual Town Meeting and on the town election ballot proposing a charter revision to establish a town council.

The study committee’s presentation, led by Joe (Town Council Study Committee member), said the draft charter calls for a nine-member town council with three-year rolling terms and a council president. "We're proposing stipends for the town council members of $40,000 a year, and $50,000 a year for the president," Joe said, explaining the committee’s view that the role will demand substantial time and responsibility.

The study committee told the Finance Committee it has spent about 18 months reviewing governance options after Article 81 at the 2023 Town Meeting created the study group. The committee said it considered open town meeting, representative town meeting, a town manager model, and city-style government before coalescing around a town council/town manager option. The group said it plans to submit draft charters for review by KP Law and town administration after the upcoming Annual Town Meeting.

Why it matters: The change would move Nantucket from its current town-meeting form of government to a representative legislative body that meets continuously, shifting many policy decisions from large assemblies of town meeting voters to an elected council that meets year-round. The committee argued the format would allow the town to respond more quickly to financial, zoning and emergency issues.

During committee discussion, members asked about structure and representation. Joe said the committee proposes at-large councilors because Nantucket has a statutory exemption from creating precincts, and the committee favored nine members to allow three seats to rotate each year. "The sweet spot seems to be 7 to 9 councilors," Joe said. He added the Collins Center at UMass served as a consultant, reviewing local election history and advising on member counts and transitions.

Finance Committee member Jill (Finance Committee representative on the study committee) emphasized the legislative nature of the proposed body and said candidates with land-use knowledge may be likely to run. Committee members also discussed time commitment and recruitment: Joe said current select board members work substantial hours and that councilors could expect similar heavy commitments.

The study committee described a multi-step legal and calendar process if voters approve the change: the town would file a home rule petition with the state legislature, return with legislative approval to a town ballot, and only after those steps would the charter change take effect — likely two to three years before a new council would fully replace the select board.

The study committee has scheduled three public information sessions to present the draft and take questions: an evening session at the Community Room, a Saturday morning session, and a smaller session at the Nantucket Athenaeum.

Ending: The Finance Committee did not vote on the nonbinding article; the presentation was informational. The study committee asked the Finance Committee to consider a straw poll if members choose to offer one before Annual Town Meeting.