Nantucket nonvoting taxpayers committee backs capital committee on Article 13, urges stricter financial review

The Advisory Committee of Nonvoting Taxpayers of Nantucket, a nonvoting town advisory panel, voted unanimously at its March 1 meeting to support the Capital Program/Finance Committee's recommendation regarding Article 13 on the annual town meeting warrant — the proposed appropriation to construct a new Our Island Home skilled nursing and long-term care facility at Sherburne Commons.

The motion approved by the advisory committee said the panel supports the capital committee's position and asked for a more thorough, publicly available financial analysis before the town proceeds to any borrowing or a Proposition 2andone-half debt-exclusion ballot question. Peter Halley, chairman of the advisory committee, opened the discussion by saying the committee's purpose is “to arrive at a decision ... whether or not we should use our voice, and if so, how to use it.”

Why this matters: Article 13 would authorize borrowing for design, permitting, construction and related costs for a new Our Island Home at 40 Sherburne Commons Lane, contingent on a townwide Proposition 2andone-half debt-exclusion vote. Committee members said the size of the proposed capital outlay and the town's long-term debt exposure could impose substantial and enduring tax increases on nonresident taxpayers, who comprise a large share of Nantucket property owners but do not vote in local elections.

Committee members highlighted gaps in the public financial materials shared so far. Several speakers, including Peter Kahn and Scott Ulm, said the finance committee's public discussion lacked detailed modeling of…