Meetings are held remotely. Go to truro-ma.gov, click on the meeting you want to watch, and open its agenda for instructions on how to watch or take part online.

Thursday, May 6

• Climate Action Committee, 10:30 a.m.
• Shellfish Advisory Board, 2:30 p.m.
• School Committee, 5:15 p.m.

Monday, May 10

• Energy Committee, 4:30 p.m.
• Bike and Walkways Committee, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, May 11

• Council on Aging, 10 a.m.
• Select Board, 4 p.m.

Wednesday, May 12

• Planning Board, 5 p.m.

Thursday, May 13

• Climate Action Committee, 10:30 a.m.
• Housing Authority, 4:15 p.m.

Conversation Starters

Rental Taxes for a Housing Fund

Town meeting voters on June 26 will be asked if the short-term rental tax, collected on vacation rentals of 30 days or fewer, should be raised from 4 to 6 percent.

Neighboring Provincetown and Wellfleet already collect 6 percent. Two petitioned articles on the warrant would raise the tax and use the money for a housing stabilization fund.

Housing stabilization funds, according to the state Dept. of Housing and Community Development, can be used for the acquisition and rehabilitation of existing structures, or for new construction of affordable rentals.

Article 18 would raise the tax to 6 percent. And then Article 19 would create the Truro Housing Stabilization Fund. A total of 33 percent of the room tax revenue would be placed in that fund. Based on recent figures, the expected tax revenue would be $863,902 a year, with $285,087 to go toward housing stabilization.

The select board on April 27 voted four to one to recommend Article 18 while support for Article 19 was unanimous. Only board member Sue Areson voted against collecting the 6 percent. She said 5.5 percent would be best. “I’m committed to housing stabilization, but the budget keeps going up and up,” she said.

The other four members and Town Manager Darrin Tangeman argued the housing crisis has not been dealt with and is affecting every aspect of life.

Tangeman said not a single school or town staff member, himself included (he makes $172,000), “can quality for financing on a median-priced Truro home.” Realtor.com reported the median listing price in 2021 in Truro was $612,000.

Bob Panessiti, chair of the finance committee, said his committee recommended these two articles because creating year-round housing is “economic stimulus.”

Customers will leave if stores and restaurants have no staff. Huge housing prices inflate the cost of hiring municipal workers, Panessiti said.

“If we are going to have success as a town in the future, we have to address this,” Tangeman said. —K.C. Myers