Voters in Aquinnah Face Budget Deficit

Shortfall of Over $200,000 Expected; Town Meeting Warrant to Include 12 Separate Override Questions

By JAMES KINSELLA
Gazette Senior Writer

Aquinnah voters will confront a series of choices at their May 9 annual town meeting - some may consider them Hobson\'s choices - including whether to fund the town shellfish and harbor master operation and community programs for children and senior citizens.

Resurrecting hopes for a peaceful accord in the small town of Aquinnah, town and tribal officials this week embraced a revised intergovernmental la

A busy week in Chilmark began Monday with voters moving briskly through the annual town meeting, continued Wednesday with high turnout at the ballo

Real Property

State Tax Panel Urges Regional Assessing System

By IAN FEIN

After a year marked by high-profile property tax disputes in two Vineyard towns, the Massachusetts Department of Revenue is pushing the idea of a regional assessing office as a way to improve the accuracy of property values and and accountability of Island assessors.

State tax officials said that all six towns on the Vineyard would benefit if they shared their data and resources, hired top-quality assessors and relied less on outside consultants.

Wind Farm Is Favored in Bill

Special Interest Language Was Quietly Placed in Energy Act That Exempts Cape Wind From Public Bidding

By JULIA WELLS

The hotly debated Cape Wind project - its backers now basking in the role of wounded underdog over a recent amendment to the U.S. Coast Guard authorization bill - was the direct beneficiary of a special interest provision slipped quietly into the federal Energy Policy Act before it was signed into law last year.

Chilmark Voters Gather For Town Meeting, Election

By MAX HART

Annual Meeting

When Chilmark voters convene for their annual town meeting on Monday night, they will take up a slim 22-article warrant, a lean operating budget for the coming fiscal year and a short spending list consisting of mostly housekeeping items.

In other words, nothing shocking in this town that prides itself on old Yankee thrift.