No tax increases at Wellfleet's annual town meeting. Here's why you should go anyway.

WELLFLEET — For the first time in a long time, voters will have a reprieve from tax increases due to Proposition 2 ½ overrides or debt exclusions. There are none on this year’s annual town warrant.

“I think it’s wonderful,” said Gary Sorkin, chairman of the Community Preservation Committee , which has recommended 13 articles on the warrant.

The 35-article annual town warrant includes 12 budget and finance articles, 13 community preservation articles and articles establishing a scholarship fund, endorsing Medicare-for-all legislation, supporting a ceasefire in Gaza , and a home rule petition to reduce pesticide use.

The $31,287,611 operating budget represents a 7.36% increase from last year. The biggest increases are due to an 11.14% increase in community services salaries and an 11.54% increase in educational costs.

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Portable toilets are the reason behind the community services cost increase, according to Suzanne Grout Thomas, director of Community Services. The department's budget has all the portable toilets on one line item.

An increase in the Nauset Regional School District assessment is behind the rise in education costs.

Marcel Breuer House to Habitat for Humanity: A closer look at Wellfleet's 13 Community Preservation articles

Community Preservation articles include $750,000 for the Wellfleet Affordable Housing Trust, $200,000 for renovation of the Marcel Breuer House, $175,000 for the Habitat for Humanity’s build on Old King’s Highway, $150,000 for the establishment of the Wellfleet Land Conservation Fund, and $100,000 to make the Wellfleet Historical Society Museum ADA-compliant.

Sorkin called Breuer one of the most famous modern house architects on the Cape. The $200,000 grant is contingent on the house’s purchase by the Cape Cod Modern House Trust.

Article 23 is for $15,000 for historic preservation of the building that houses AIM Thrift Shop. Sorkin called AIM a major contributor to the Outer Cape Health Services.

June special town meeting and special election to include debt exclusion

A special town meeting will be held on June 17 to vote on the purchase of a property that could eventually house town offices. A special election will be held on June 18. Voters will be asked for a debt exclusion to fund the purchase, expected to be around $1.7 million.

What is a town meeting?

A town meeting is both an event and an entity, according to the Secretary of the Commonwealth's website. As an event, it is a gathering of a town’s eligible voters, and is referred to as “the town meeting.” As an entity, it is the legislative body for towns in Massachusetts, and is referred to simply as “town meeting.” Thirteen of the 15 Cape Cod towns including Wellfleet have “open town meetings,” meaning all voters who live in that town may vote on all matters. Falmouth, though, has a “representative town meeting,” where all voters elect town meeting members who then vote on all town meeting matters. The town of Barnstable is governed by an elected town council rather than by a town meeting.

When is it and where will it be held?

Wellfleet's town meeting is at 6 p.m. May 20 at the Wellfleet Elementary School gymnasium. The address is 100 Lawrence Road in Wellfleet.

For information on the warrant, go to https://www.wellfleet-ma.gov/home/news/important-annual-town-meeting-and-election-information .

Denise Coffey writes about business, tourism and issues impacting the Cape’s residents and visitors. Contact her at dcoffey@capecodonline.com .

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: No tax increases at Wellfleet's annual town meeting. Here's why you should go anyway.