What Will This
Cost You?

Four ballot questions. Three raise your property taxes. No detailed cost-per-household analysis has been provided to voters. Here's what public records tell us.

Yarmouth by the Numbers

$98M+
Annual Budget
$50M municipal + $48M school assessments. Funded by property taxes, state aid, and federal grants.
$7.72
Tax Rate / $1,000
FY2025 residential rate. Average home (~$550K) pays ~$4,250/year in property taxes.
12,500
Taxable Parcels
Every override dollar is divided among these parcels. Not every voter owns one.
$0
Cost Analysis
No cost-per-household estimate provided to voters for any of the four questions.

How Overrides Hit Your Tax Bill

Override vs. Debt Exclusion — Know the Difference

Feature Override (Q1 & Q2) Debt Exclusion (Q3)
Duration Permanent — forever "Temporary" — 20-30 years of higher taxes
Effect on levy ceiling Raises permanently; all future 2.5% increases build on higher base Added outside levy; does not raise base
Can it be reversed? Only by another vote (extremely rare) Automatically expires
Compounds over time? Yes — exponentially No

Questions 1 & 2: The Compounding Problem

Proposition 2½ limits annual property tax increases to 2.5%. An override raises the base that the 2.5% applies to. Here's what that means over time:

Example: $100 Override Today

Year 1: You pay $100 more. Year 2: You pay $102.50 more (2.5% on higher base). Year 5: $110.38. Year 10: $121.84. Year 20: $148.59. The override never stops growing.

Now multiply that by the actual override amount — and remember, Q1 and Q2 are both permanent overrides on the same ballot.

Question 3: Library Debt — "Temporary" Is a Sales Pitch

They call it temporary, but debt exclusions routinely last 20–30 years. That's a generation of higher taxes. And voters should know before approving:

  • What is the total project cost?
  • What is the annual debt service payment?
  • What is the per-household cost per year?
  • How many years will the debt take to pay off?
  • Are there state grants or matching funds available?

None of this has been provided to voters. You're being asked to approve borrowing with no price tag.

Question 4: Sanctuary Costs Elsewhere

Municipality Policy Type Known Cost
Denver, CO Sanctuary city defense $2M+ (Covington & Burling)
Boston, MA Sanctuary city defense $650K ($950/hr outside counsel)
Somerville, MA Federal funding risk $19.4M at risk + $4M DOT threat
Chelsea, MA Federal funding risk $14.5M at risk

Sources: Municipal budgets, court filings, news reporting. Q4 is non-binding but signals policy intent.

Who Pays — and Who Doesn't

22,842 registered voters. 12,500 taxable parcels.

That means thousands of voters can approve permanent tax increases on property they don't own. Renters don't see the bill. Seasonal residents may not even be here to vote. But if you own a home in Yarmouth, every dollar of every override comes out of your pocket — forever.

Massachusetts requires no voter ID and actively encourages mail-in balloting. Override campaigns are designed to drive high turnout among supporters while counting on low turnout from everyone else.

This is why you need to show up on May 19.

No Numbers, No Yes Vote

Before permanently raising your taxes, demand:

  • Exact dollar-per-household cost for each question
  • Line-item accounting of where the money goes
  • Evidence that other options were exhausted first
  • A sunset clause or accountability review

None of that has been provided. That alone is reason to vote No on all four.

Read All 4 Questions →