Here's what's actually on the May 19 ballot — and what it means for your property taxes.
A Proposition 2½ override that permanently raises your property tax levy to fund expanded Dennis-Yarmouth school district budgets.
Once approved, this increase never goes away. It becomes the new baseline for every future tax year. Every future 2.5% annual increase builds on this higher base. There is no sunset clause, no expiration, no automatic review.
Before permanently raising your taxes, has the district provided a line-item accounting of where every dollar goes? Have they identified waste, redundancy, or administrative bloat? A permanent override should be the last resort — not the first ask.
A second Proposition 2½ override — this time for Cape Cod Tech — that also permanently raises your property tax levy.
If both Question 1 and Question 2 pass, you are approving two permanent tax increases on the same ballot. Both are overrides with no end date. Both compound annually. The combined impact on your tax bill is not additive — it's multiplicative over time.
A debt exclusion to fund Yarmouth library construction or renovation. They call it "temporary" — but debt exclusions routinely last 20 to 30 years. That's a generation of higher taxes.
A 20-year debt exclusion means you'll be paying for this until 2046. Nothing about two decades of higher property taxes is temporary. And once voters get comfortable with the higher rate, there's nothing stopping another exclusion from stacking on top before the first one ends.
Before approving any new borrowing, voters should demand:
None of this has been provided. You're being asked to sign a blank check for a library project with no price tag.
A non-binding ballot question asking whether Yarmouth should adopt a sanctuary-style resolution. While non-binding, a "yes" vote gives political cover for future policy changes and signals to outside organizations that Yarmouth is receptive.
A non-binding "yes" vote doesn't create law — but it creates political momentum. It tells the Select Board there's voter appetite for sanctuary policies. It signals to outside organizations like the ACLU and the Coalition for Social Justice that Yarmouth is open for business. The next step is a binding vote — and this is how they get there.
Two permanent tax increases with no end date. One temporary tax increase with no project details. One sanctuary resolution filed by 35 people and previously rejected by your town.
Demand accountability before writing blank checks.