Eastham Town Meeting - Wind, Water & Taxes

At last night's Eastham Town Meeting a number of 'hot' articles were debated and passed. Another, the 9.7% rental property tax, was soundly defeated (rjs - YEAH!). This tax on rental home rentals would have put Eastham at a serious disadvantage since most (if not all) neighboring towns also rejected this tax.

At long last the Town of Eastham is on the road to a municipal water system with the approval of a $3M+ study to determine the best path to town water. Although the study will take a few years, it begins a journey that (hopefully) will ensure a continuing water supply into the future, as water quality slowly (but surely) deteriorates. This decision will need to be ratified with a Proposition 2 1/2 override vote scheduled with town elections on May 19th.

Likewise, wind turbine measures were approved, both residential and municipal. The municipal turbine vote made the 2/3's majority required by one vote.

Read the details in the Cape Cod Times article... Here.

Nantucket Sound Windmills Get OK

The U.S. Interior Department announced new rules yesterday that will allow the first offshore wind turbines to go up in Nantucket Sound, rules that the Kennedy family famously opposed. This development was part of an Earth Day speech by President Obama. I don't think we've heard the last of it, but these new rules should move the project at a faster pace. Go to the Discover Magazine 80beats blog for this important article.