Mashpee town meeting to weigh ban on plastic straws, Styrofoam

By Geoff Spillane
Posted Oct 18, 2019

MASHPEE — Voters in Mashpee will take up a wide range of issues ranging from banning paper straws to regulating short-term rentals when annual town meeting convenes at 7 p.m. Monday at Mashpee High School.

“We have a lot of important issues,” Board of Selectmen Chairman Andrew Gottlieb said of the 31-article warrant. “We have spent a lot of time to develop creative ways to address affordable housing, environmental stewardship, short-term rentals and wastewater. It’s a fairly consequential warrant for the town.”

An article likely to generate a lot of attention is a proposed ban on the use of polystyrene-based products, commonly known as Styrofoam, by food or retail establishments on or after July 1, 2021. These products include food service containers, cutlery and packaging peanuts. Falmouth, Provincetown, Wellfleet, Orleans, Dennis and Nantucket already have such bylaws.

A companion article would also prohibit use of plastic straws by any food or retail establishment, or in any public venue in Mashpee, on or after July 1, 2021.

Three articles on the warrant focus on the creation and use of accessory apartments — or ADUs — to help ease the affordable housing shortage in the town and region. They include a proposal to allow accessory apartments in residentially zoned districts as a by-right use. The article would apply to existing homes, newly constructed homes and preexisting detached structures.

Short-term rentals, now subject to state and local taxes, are also highlighted in three articles. They include a proposed bylaw to establish regulations for the rental properties that protect the health and safety of occupants and preserve quality of life in residential areas; an article to hire a code compliance inspector at a salary of $61,000 to enforce the regulations; and an article requesting the allocation of $17,700 to hire a consulting agency to identify short-term rental properties and issue notifications regarding regulations governing them.

There is also an article requesting a $250,000 allocation for the town to participate in a feasibility study for a wastewater and collection facility on Joint Base Cape Cod. The article would allow the town manager to negotiate with neighboring towns to execute a memorandum of understanding to move the project ahead.

Falmouth has already banned the use of personal watercraft on Ashumet Pond, and Mashpee voters will be asked to do the same on their town’s side of the pond. Both towns must have the same bylaw in effect for the state to enforce it, since the town line goes through the pond.

The final article on the warrant, brought forth by petition, will ask voters to consider prohibiting town employees from serving on elected town boards.

Town meeting will have to compete with the Monday Night Football matchup between the New England Patriots and New York Jets for residents’ attention.

“They can set the DVR, come to town meeting and watch the game later,” Gottlieb said. “We have made an agreement that the score will not be announced.”