Government
A six-year-old agreement between the town of Aquinnah and the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) that spelled out a detailed process for government-to-government collaboration on land use projects has been severed by the tribe.
In a Feb. 11 letter to the Aquinnah selectmen, the tribal chairman notified the board that the tribal council had voted to terminate the intergovernmental agreement.
In an attempt to establish consistency and accuracy in history classes, the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) education committee and tribal historic preservation office are developing a curriculum on Wampanoag history and culture for the Island public schools.
On Tuesday night, members of the tribal education committee joined the up-Island regional school committee for a broad discussion on communication between the tribe and the schools. The tribe has 24 children in the school system.
The Dukes County manager appeared before the Tisbury selectmen this week to explain the countywide pest control program, whose cost and effectiveness have come under scrutiny in more than one Island town in recent weeks, as warrants are prepared for upcoming annual town meetings. The six towns share the bulk of the funding for the program, and the county contributes a small share.
The Oak Bluffs annual town budget is set to increase by about 1.7 per cent in the coming fiscal year, with the town administrator calling the nearly $24.6 million budget “very lean.”
At a budget presentation Wednesday night, finance advisory committee chairman Steve Auerbach outlined some goals of the fiscal year 2014 budget: there are plans to restore a limited lifeguard program for town beaches and recreational summer tennis and basketball programs, and the budget includes a new full-time position for a technical assistant for the building department and board of health.
The Edgartown selectmen endorsed plans Monday to regulate medicinal marijuana, voting to place articles on the April special town meeting warrant that would regulate public consumption of the drug and establish a temporary moratorium on setting up dispensaries.
Incumbents seem to rule in the hours before nomination papers are due in three Island towns.
With just one full working day left before contestants for elected office must file nominating papers, town clerks in Edgartown, West Tisbury and Oak Bluffs report that all races are so far uncontested and many races have no candidates at all.