Finance panel backs stormwater utility bylaw 7-0-1

Finance Committee · Meeting of February 19, 2026

Nantucket Finance Committee backs new stormwater utility fee, stumbles on wind-risk fund. The panel voted 7-0-1, with member Peter N. Schaeffer abstaining, to recommend Article 71, which would create a stormwater utility funded by fees of $7 to $10 a month tied to a property's paved surface, replacing an estimated $538,000 annual general-fund subsidy.

Stormwater manager Charles Johnson and consultant Frank Ayotte of Hazen and Sawyer presented the bylaw, calling violations subject to a $300-a-day fine. Separately, Town Counsel John Giorgio told proponents Amy DeCibio and "Val" that their $1 million-a-year offshore wind stabilization fund petition "cannot be accomplished" under state law, prompting a unanimous take-no-action vote. The committee also unanimously recommended an 8-0 license for an expanded Baxter Road geotube erosion structure over former selectman Rick Atherton's objection that it "takes away" town meeting's say.

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Source: the Finance Committee meeting of February 19, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.