Tax override passed, offshore wind debated: First night of Falmouth Town Meeting

FALMOUTH — A $950,000 general override proposed to at least minimally staff the town's fire facilities once the new Hatchville fire station is finished cleared the first of two approval milestones at the annual town meeting on Monday.

Next stop: The May 16 town election.

Gathered at the Lawrence School on Lakeview Avenue, town meeting members gave the measure the green light after some lengthy discussion and one failed attempt to decrease the amount. The body also adopted a fiscal 2024 town budget and chose to leave decisions about offshore developers' access to town-owned land in the hands of the Select Board before adjourning for the night.

Falmouth Town Meeting guide What decisions are being made at Falmouth Town Meeting Monday night? Here's the breakdown.

Here's what town meeting could take up on night two.

Town meeting will continue tonight, April 12, starting at 7 p.m., in the Memorial Auditorium at the Lawrence School, 113 Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth.

Among decisions yet to be made: Whether or not to adopt a ban on plastic takeout containers and utensils for local food establishments, several sewer project funding requests, and a handful of proposals for expenditures from the Community Preservation Act fund, primarily for various historic preservation and open space improvement projects.

Override is now in the hands of voters

Passing town meeting on a voice vote, the proposed Proposition 2 1/2 override must next gain approval at the polls before it can take effect. Passage will allow the town to raise taxes above the standard 2.5% maximum annual increase allowed by state law.

If approved, the measure will add about 6 cents to the tax rate, resulting in an estimated increase of $45.71 to the average single-family property tax bill. The average single-family property in Falmouth has an assessed value of $761,884.

The purpose is to fund 14 additional firefighters to ensure staffing for all of the town's fire facilities, which will number six once the fire station presently under construction in Hatchville comes online sometime next year.

Acting Town Manager Peter Johnson-Staub said the override is not lightly sought.

"The last thing we want to do is come to town meeting and ask for additional taxes," he said.

The override will allow for a daily minimum staffing of 18 across Falmouth's five fire stations.

The town also needs to ensure adequate public safety coverage, not only for the new station, but for the existing ones. Fire Chief Timothy Smith said the added personnel will allow for daily minimum staffing of 18 across the various fire facilities.

"Experience of the past two years shows that 78 personnel is not enough for our five current stations," the chief said, noting he also needs a larger "buffer" to account for vacancies and leaves of absence.

There was some debate between those who believe a $45 tax bill increase is not an onerous expense and those who argued it's another cost increase on top of many others that are becoming challenging to keep up with in the face of inflation, interest rate hikes and increased property valuations with higher tax burdens.

Town meeting member Joseph Netto proposed reducing the override to $500,000, but his amendment was turned down.

Falmouth May 16 election Three town-wide races, override on Falmouth annual election ballot

Falmouth Select Board kept its power to give offshore wind developers access to town land.

A petition looking to have town meeting vote to give offshore wind developers access to town land for soil tests — part of determining suitability of sites for potential power cable landings — inspired more than an hour of debate.

Presently, only the Select Board or a board designated by them can give access, which the members have denied in their insistence that the current developer eyeing landing sites in the town, SouthCoast Wind, be more forthcoming about its plans and form a better partnership with the town.

Town meeting voted against toppling that stance, with 116 opposed to town meeting giving access to 72 in favor.

The topic was hotly debated.

Town meeting member Rosemary Carey favored allowing offshore wind developers to investigate potential landing sites, saying denying access "effectively shuts down exploration of potential benefits to our community, to the commonwealth and to the planet."

Other supporters also cited economic and environmental benefits, from the promise of a "steady stream of revenue," to new jobs, to cleaner air and less carbon pollution. Pointing out state climate goals that call for a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 50% by 2030, and achieving net zero emissions by 2050, they worried the state could eventually make decisions about Falmouth landing sites without local input.

But opponents applauded the Select Board for "sticking up" for the town and insisting upon a level of communication and partnership members feel is not present. Selectman Douglas Brown noted an agreement the town made with SouthCoast previously did allow for soil testing, but "the whole interaction between us and them just wasn't well done."

He noted all utilities to Martha's Vineyard are at the end of Mill Road, which is a potential landing site the town prefers. The company identified Falmouth Heights as "a backup," but has pushed it to the state as a primary site, he said.

"That's not how I want to do business," Brown said.

Other opponents said they think the project they've seen so far is too big for the town, and inappropriate for a landing and substantial substation at Falmouth Heights.

Town meeting member Charlotte Harris said townspeople need to trust in their elected Select Board to deal with the issue appropriately, noting helping an offshore wind developer "find a cheaper way to go to the mainland may not be in our best interests."

Plastic ban in Falmouth Falmouth votes on plastic ban for takeout containers, utensils Monday night. What to know.

The town budget including a 13% increase for schools was approved with little debate.

Aside from a few line item adjustments, the town operating budget was approved with little debate. The unanimously approved budget totals $153,765,348, an increase of about $7.1 million.

The school budget is getting a $1.75 million increase — 13% — to provide support for increased "high needs," from English language support to counseling services.

A police vehicle and body camera video system is part of the plan as well, at a cost of $75,000 for the first year.

Heather McCarron writes about climate change, environment, energy, science and the natural world, in addition to news and features in Barnstable, Brewster and Falmouth. Reach her at hmccarron@capecodonline.com, or follow her on Twitter @HMcCarron_CCT

Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Cape Cod Times subscription. Here are our subscription plans. 

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Falmouth Town Meeting votes on override, town budget, offshore wind