Two initiatives that would have had wide-reaching ramifications in Westport were defeated by voters at last Tuesday’s Financial Town Meeting. Meanwhile, residents agreed to give a new source of funding to Westport Community Schools, which is struggling with the rising cost of special education and transportation.

Nearly 600 voters turned out for the annual meeting at Westport Middle High School. With more than 40 warrant articles to sort through, the meeting lasted four hours.

Short term rentals

An initiative to allow Short Term Rentals (STRs) that was in the works for several years, failed. With that vote, owners of STRs, which are not allowed in Westport, could face cease and desist letters from the town.

The proposed zoning changes would have given the town the authority to license, inspect and otherwise regulate rentals, which currently do not comply with zoning regulations here as they are not specifically mentioned as being allowed in the town’s zoning use tables. Under bylaws, “any use not specifically or generally listed ... or otherwise permitted in a district shall be deemed to be prohibited.”

Following last Tuesday’s vote, Westport Town Planner Michael Burris noted that with the town’s rejection of the warrant article, “STRs in operation in Westport are in violation of the town zoning bylaws and will be subject to enforcement like any other zoning violation.”

Adding that town officials chose not to enforce the prohibition while the STR regulations were being considered, Burris said that the morning after Town Meeting, the building department was preparing a form cease and desist letter to be sent to Short Term Rental owners.

There are close to 200 short term rentals in Westport on various websites, but with the practice entrenched in Westport for decades, some residents complained over the past year that the draft regulations proposed by the town were too onerous and would hurt the financial bottom line of residents who need the funds they bring to help keep their homes.

The planning board’s move to officially allow and regulate the practice came in the midst of a controversy over an STR on Spinnaker Way last summer.

That home, purchased by the owners in late 2022, was never occupied by its owners and instead was advertised as a Short Term Rental. Neighbors in the quiet neighborhood complained about problems with the home — parking issues, excessive numbers of people staying there, drunks and rowdy renters — and the town spent much of the summer of 2023 battling with the owners, who appealed a cease and desist order issued by the town but were ultimately unsuccessful.

The town issued that cease and desist order because since that use is not specifically allowed in the town’s zoning use tables, it is technically illegal.

Route 6

One of the biggest decisions dealt with the Route 6 water and sewer trunk line project, which required two votes — one, to appropriate funds at Town Meeting and the other, a poll question to approve a debt exclusion. The project appears to be dead, at least for now, following its failure Tuesday and at the polls in early April.

The project was projected to cost approximately $35 million and would have been broken into three sub-projects. Voters also rejected a “betterment” formula which would have laid out payments for those residents along the corridor looking to hook up to the new system.

The Infrastructure Oversight Committee, which developed the Route 6 plan, will meet on Wednesday, June 5 to go over the next steps.

“We have grant money out there we the to lose, but obviously the people have spoken,” chairman Steve Ouellette said. “If we plan on moving on, we’ll need to get more input and see if we can something more palatable.”

School costs

One new initiative approved by voters dealt with a new fund that will be established to help the school district cover the rising cost of special education and transportation.

Superintendent Thomas Aubin said several weeks prior to the meeting that the rising cost of such services is deeply cutting into the district’s bottom line, leaving other needs unfilled. He continued on the same line of discussion Tuesday, saying that the “unfunded mandate” to cover special education and associated costs leaves the district in a tough position.

In the end, voters approved article 43, which will establish a “Special Education Reserve Fund” to help the district cover unexpected or anticipated costs associated with special education and transportation.

They approved a $22.651 million school budget — $152,125 more than a $22.499 million budget recommended by the finance committee.

Following the vote, Aubin said he is thankful for the extra financial consideration given the district, but noted that it isn’t a panacea — “we’re still some $300,000 short” this year, he said.

“But we’ll get through it.”

Other votes

Voters also rejected new zoning requirements that would have changed the way setbacks were measured.

And the town passed over initiatives to establish a Municipal Light Plant and two new zoning districts — the Science and Technology Overlay District and the Westport Gateway District.