Frank Words Punctuate County Discussion

By JAMES KINSELLA

A planned goal-setting session for the Dukes County Commission was interrupted abruptly this week when county commissioner Leonard Jason Jr. of Chilmark questioned whether the county would even continue to exist.

"The first thing you've got to do is determine if there will be county government," Mr. Jason declared at the regular county commission meeting Wednesday night.

Mr. Jason said trust has been eroding from the table where the county commission sits. "I believe you have to get back to basics and rekindle the trust," he said.

Two specters hung over the discussion Wednesday evening: a potential legal judgment that the county lacks the money to pay, and the beginning of an organized discussion by Vineyard selectmen about possibly changing or ending county government.

Earlier in the meeting, the commission learned that a liability of $443,000 has been placed on the county books for the fiscal year ended June 30 by Powers & Sullivan, the Wakefield firm that does the county's accounting.

Powers & Sullivan principal James Powers, who attended the meeting to present the annual county audit for 2005, said the liability represents $360,000 in potential treble damages from a legal judgment in the case concerning a salary dispute with managers at the Martha's Vineyard Airport, which is owned by the county. The liability also includes $83,000 in legal costs related to the lawsuit.

The county does not have enough available money in this year's budget to cover the judgment. The county does have $237,000 available free cash in the current fiscal year that could be used toward the payment, but Mr. Powers recommended that the county borrow whatever is needed and pay it back over five years or so.

The county will continue to carry the liability on its books unless the amount owed is changed by a judicial ruling, or the judgment is paid by the county.

County attorneys have filed a motion in the case asking the Hon. Robert Bohn Jr. to reduce the treble damages. The motion cites a recent Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision that eliminates mandatory treble damages and would allow the judge to use his discretion in awarding damages.

The county commission also might choose to appeal Judge Bohn's ruling in favor of the two airport managers, although the ballooning cost of the litigation has sparked widespread criticism on the Island.

Unrest over the lawsuit is fueling discussion among Vineyard selectmen about the relative usefulness of county government for the Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands.

Earlier this month selectmen from five of the seven county towns attended a meeting hosted by the West Tisbury selectmen to talk about the county. The selectmen decided to form a study committee, with one member appointed from each town, to evaluate the current status of county government. The selectmen also agreed to invite a county representative to participate.

Tisbury selectman Tristan Israel, who attended the meeting on Wednesday night as a member of the county advisory board, said evaluating county government could be a positive step.

But Mr. Israel also faulted the county commission for voting at its last meeting to support Vineyard Steamship Authority governor Marc Hanover in the dispute between the Tisbury selectmen and the boat line over the use of the ferry embarkation fee money.

Mr. Israel said he does not question the county taking a position on the issue, but he criticized the commission for taking a vote with no Tisbury selectmen present to give their side of the issue. "That doesn't build bridges. That just creates enmity," Mr. Israel said.

Two county commissioners - Paul Strauss and Roger Wey of Oak Bluffs - abstained from the Hanover vote, citing the same reason.

The discussion served as an ironic counterpart to the overall goal-setting session, during which the county commissioners appeared generally enthusiastic at the prospect of new regional initiatives.

Commission members called for naming more associate commissioners to work in new areas, such as agriculture, commerce, and energy. Associate commissioners, who work as volunteers, already serve the county in areas including health and disabilities.

The commissioners also pitched proposals for regional services. Commission member Robert Sawyer of Vineyard Haven said a full-time grant writer could benefit both the county and its member towns. Commission member Nelson Smith of Edgartown proposed a mobile slaughterhouse that could allow farmers to process and sell meat on-Island. County manager E. Winn Davis, who facilitated the discussion, said the county could serve as a resource for town health agents.

Commission members also emphasized the importance of obtaining an alternative funding source for the county, now principally funded by assessments on the towns and state revenue streams. As one possible source, Mr. Wey suggested that nonresidents pay for parking at State Beach.

Commission members said that the county must communicate better, both to town officials such as selectmen and to Vineyard residents about the services and benefits offered by the county.