West Tisbury Assessors Lose Tax Challenge
By ALEXIS TONTI
The Massachusetts Court of Appeals this week overturned a decision by the state Appellate Tax Board and ruled that the Martha's Vineyard Land Bank is exempt from all taxation, upholding the power vested in the conservation agency by its enabling legislation.
The case is an appeal of a decision first made by the West Tisbury board of assessors that ordered the land bank to pay about $700 in taxes on property bought in fiscal year 2002.
The ruling was issued Wednesday.
Court Ousts Trash Company in Oak Bluffs Neighborhood
By ALEXIS TONTI
More than three years after a superior court judge ruled on the issue, the Massachusetts Court of Appeals this week upheld a decision ordering the trash hauling company Browning Ferris Industries (BFI) to clear out of its Oak Bluffs depot.
The court of appeals rejected the challenge to the superior court decision and declared commercial use of the property to be illegal under Oak Bluffs zoning bylaws.
Judge Finds No Pollution Threat at Plant
By ALEXIS TONTI
Marking one more win for the town of Edgartown in a long running legal battle, a superior court judge this month ruled that discharge from the municipal wastewater treatment plant does not threaten the water quality in the Edgartown Great Pond.
A high-priced real estate market coupled with changes in the way property assessments are calculated has fueled a sharp rise in the value of waterview and waterfront property in Edgartown this year.
Tisbury Grudge on Police Pay Will Get New Hearing at SSA
By ALEXIS TONTI
A muddled Steamship Authority policy remained in the spotlight over the weekend, as the Vineyard boat line governor took a position in the debate about payments by the SSA for police details in the port towns.
Big Plans for Vineyard House Include a New Central Campus
By ALEXIS TONTI
The directors of Vineyard House Inc., the only Island program that offers housing to people in the early stages of recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, are now moving forward with a plan to purchase land and build a central campus for the organization with increased capacity for residents.