Pending Home Rule Petitions

At a glance

Based on auto-generated captions; names and details may be misheard.

What: status of the town's pending home rule petitions.
Where it stands: any not enacted by December 31, 2026 expire and must be revoted at Town Meeting. The community housing bank is recommended for resubmittal; the sewer act amendment was enacted; the government study committee petition (including the signature increase from 10 to 25) awaits the governor; the fertilizer ban and pension obligation bonds remain unenacted; a new petition would allow general obligation bonds for housing.
Next: the board decides which to resubmit; no action needed before December.

Municipal housing director Kristy Ferrantella said state law limits borrowing to acquiring and building on property, not general affordable housing projects, which complicated a project at Dooley Court with Housing Nantucket. The town is working with the senator's office and the seasonal communities legislation and wants a placeholder home rule petition to amend the borrowing statute.
A board member asked for a list of what other communities have done.

About 5 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).

Meeting	Minutes
2026-10-21 - Select Board	5

2026-11-04 - Select Board — Town Manager reported the Community Housing Bank, fertilizer ban and pension obligation petitions, if adopted at the 2025 or 2026 town meetings, need not be resubmitted in 2027; the study item is still on the governor's desk and the NP&EDC enabling act amendment has not been filed. Bobby asked that the Community Housing Bank board home rule petition, which reached the governor but was not signed, be resubmitted; it will return on a future update.
2026-10-21 - Select Board — Status of pending petitions reviewed; housing bond petition proposed.