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Select Board leans against decoupling election warrant for Island Home question; asks to keep ballot vote with town meeting
Summary
The board reviewed draft warrant strategy for the annual town meeting and debated decoupling the election warrant to wait for rebid numbers on the Island Home project. Several members said they prefer asking voters again at the ballot rather than relying on last year’s approval; staff will keep the ballot and town meeting warrant together.
Town Manager Libby and finance staff briefed the Select Board on draft warrant language for the 2026 Annual Town Meeting and on an option to decouple the election warrant from the town meeting warrant so staff could reopen a separate ballot question for the Island Home debt exclusion after rebid numbers arrive.
Finance staff explained that the Department of Revenue reviews whether a supplemental ballot question is required if the scope or cost of a project changes materially from the plan voters approved previously; because bids will not arrive until after the warrant drafting deadline, decoupling the warrants could create a short window to submit a new ballot question to the town clerk within statutorily required notice periods.
Several board members, including Brooke Moore, said they would prefer to have voters reaffirm the Island Home debt‑exclusion question on the ballot rather than rely on last year’s vote; other members said combining the election and town meeting warrants is simpler and avoids confusion. The board directed staff to proceed with standard combined warrants and to include contingency language commonly used for major capital projects; staff will provide final language next week.
Why it matters: Whether the town re‑asks voters in May on the Island Home appropriation affects how the project proceeds, what voter roll will decide the funding question, and the town’s messaging to residents.
What’s next: Staff will continue drafting warrant language with standard contingency phrasing and will return with a final warrant for board approval.
