⚠ Q3 IS NOT OVER — 300-signature petition forces a Special Town Meeting. VOTE NO on ALL 4 questions on MAY 19.
Vote NO Yarmouth — Stop Tax Hikes & Question 4
-- Days to Election Day
ALL 4 Questions still active — including Q3

May 19. Election Day. Vote NO on All 4 Questions.

Q3 (Library Debt Exclusion) is NOT over. Supporters filed a 300-signature petition forcing a Special Town Meeting for another vote. If you vote NO on Q3 on May 19, it is permanently done — no matter what any future Town Meeting decides. All four questions are live. Vote NO on May 19.

Read the Ballot Questions Take Action
$1.8B
Massachusetts migrant shelter spending
$2.16M
Combined annual tax increases on May 19 ballot (Q1+Q2)
35
Petition signatures — 0.15% of voters

Four Questions. Your Money. Your Town.

Every question on this ballot costs you something — your taxes, your town's identity, or both. Know what you're voting on.

Q1
D-Y Schools Override
Permanent Tax Increase
$1,481,348 per year added to your property tax levy — forever. No sunset clause.
Q2
Cape Cod Tech Override
Permanent Tax Increase
$680,194 per year. Another permanent Prop 2½ override stacked on top of Q1.
Q3
Library Debt Exclusion
Still Active — Vote NO
Failed the required 2/3 vote at Town Meeting. Supporters filed a 300-signature petition forcing a Special Town Meeting. A NO vote on May 19 kills it permanently.
Q4
Sanctuary Resolution
Non-Binding
Filed by 35 signatures via citizen petition. Bypassed Town Meeting entirely — goes straight to the May 19 ballot with no public deliberation.

What Is an Override?

Massachusetts law (Proposition 2½) caps how much a town can increase property taxes each year — by 2.5% of the prior year's levy. This cap exists to protect homeowners from runaway tax increases.

What Is a Proposition 2½ Override?

An OVERRIDE permanently raises the levy ceiling above that cap. Once approved, it never goes away. Every future 2.5% increase builds on the higher base. There is no sunset, no expiration, no review.

What Is a Debt Exclusion?

A DEBT EXCLUSION is a temporary increase to pay for a specific borrowing — like building a library. It's "temporary" but typically lasts 20–30 years, the life of the bond.

Override = permanent forever. Debt Exclusion = 20–30 years.
Neither has any mechanism for voter review once approved.

Town Meeting & What Comes Next

Q3 Failed the 2/3 Threshold — But It's Not Over

For the Library Debt Exclusion to pass, two things must happen: (1) a two-thirds vote at Town Meeting authorizing the bond, AND (2) a majority YES vote at the ballot box. The April 28 Town Meeting did NOT produce the required 2/3 supermajority. The process should have ended there.

Instead, supporters collected 300 signatures and filed a petition — which forces the Town to hold a Special Town Meeting for another attempt at the required 2/3 vote. Q3 remains on the May 19 ballot and your vote still matters critically.

All Four Questions Are Still Live on May 19

  • Q1 — D-Y Schools Override — $1,481,348/yr, permanent
  • Q2 — Cape Cod Tech Override — $680,194/yr, permanent
  • Q3 — Library Debt Exclusion — STILL ACTIVE. A NO vote on May 19 ends it permanently regardless of Special Town Meeting.
  • Q4 — Sanctuary Resolution — non-binding, 35-signature petition

Your May 19 Vote on Q3 Is the Final Word

If voters reject Q3 on May 19, it is over — no Special Town Meeting can change that. Both votes must pass. A NO at the ballot closes the chapter permanently. Make it count.

We Have Bigger Problems

Yarmouth taxpayers are already stretched. These are the real priorities — and none of them are on this ballot.

  • Wastewater project — already having huge impacts on residents and businesses across town. This is a multi-year, multi-million dollar obligation that's just getting started.
  • New fire station needed — aging infrastructure that directly affects public safety. This will cost real money when the time comes.
  • ME Small School feasibility study — could cost taxpayers millions if it moves forward. Another large expense on the horizon.
  • Housing costs already unaffordable — Cape Cod is pricing out working families. Every tax increase accelerates the problem.
  • Seniors being driven out — people who have owned their homes for decades can't keep up with rising property taxes. Permanent overrides make it worse — permanently.

Get Your Yard Sign

Signs are going out across Yarmouth. Put one on your lawn and let your neighbors know where you stand.

Vote NO Yarmouth yard sign — Stop Tax Hikes & Question 4
Request a Sign

Vote NO on All 4 — May 19. Election Day.

Q3 supporters overturned the Town Meeting result by petition. A NO vote on May 19 closes that door permanently. Finish the job on all four questions.

Read the Questions → Request a Yard Sign