Meetings Ahead
Most meetings in Wellfleet are remote only, but some are held in person. Go to www.wellfleet-ma.gov/calendar and click on the meeting you want to watch, then follow the instructions on the agenda.
Thursday, Aug. 29
- Natural Resources Advisory Board, 9 a.m., Town Hall basement conference room and online
- Cable, Internet and Cellular Service Advisory Committee, 11 a.m.
- Nauset Regional School District Capital Asset Subcommittee, 4 p.m., Nauset administration office and online
- Nauset Regional School Committee, 6 p.m., NRMS auditorium and online
Tuesday, Sept. 3
- State primary, voting from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Adult Community Center
Conversation Starter
A Town’s Own Counsel
The select board voted to deny a request from town counsel KP Law seeking approval to represent Wellfleet in negotiating its agreement with the Nauset school district this year.
In an Aug. 12 letter to the town, the firm described a request from Brewster and Orleans to provide advice regarding review of the agreement, a contract that governs how each town funds the district’s schools.
The allocation of funding for the schools changes from year to year based on enrollment from each town. Brewster and Orleans, which have more students than Eastham and Wellfleet, have larger education budgets. According to the select board’s discussion, those two towns are seeking to change the agreement to base funding on a rolling average, not an annual review.
In the letter, KP Law wrote that representing all four towns would not constitute a conflict of interest because “the Towns share an interest in ensuring that the Agreement fairly and adequately addresses their individual needs and circumstances.”
But select board member Barbara Carboni said she was uncomfortable having Wellfleet represented by the same firm representing the other towns. “I am not crazy about having common representation with other jurisdictions that we have some interests in common and some interests not in common,” Carboni said. “I am interested as a resident taxpayer that the town’s interests are separately represented. There are financial interests at stake.”
The board voted 4-1 to seek outside counsel for advice related to the district agreement, with Sheila Lyons casting the dissenting vote. —Sam Pollak
