Three permanent tax increases on the same ballot. Here's what they'll actually cost your household.
Four questions on the ballot. Here's what each one costs you.
| Question | Annual Cost | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 — D-Y Schools | $1,481,348 | Permanent |
| Q2 — Cape Cod Tech | $680,194 | Permanent |
| Q3 — Library Bond STOPPED APR 28 | $1,260,000 | 20–30 years |
| Q1 + Q2 on May 19 Ballot | $2,161,542 | Per year, permanent |
Q1 and Q2 are permanent Proposition 2½ overrides that compound at 2.5% annually — forever. Once they pass, they are baked into your tax levy.
Q3 (library bond) was stopped at Town Meeting on April 28 — the funding vote required to authorize the bond failed, so Q3 cannot move forward regardless of how it appears on the May 19 ballot. Calculator below shows Q1 + Q2 only.
Enter your home's assessed value to see the combined tax impact of the two permanent overrides on the May 19 ballot — not just year one, but the compounding cost over time. Q3 (library) was stopped at Town Meeting and is excluded.
Default: $710,000 (Yarmouth average assessed value)
Proposition 2½ overrides compound at 2.5% annually. Your additional tax grows every single year — permanently.
Before adding two permanent overrides, look at where Yarmouth sits today. Rates below are the residential property tax rate per $1,000 of assessed home value. Yarmouth is highlighted.
| Town | Residential Property Tax (per $1,000) |
|---|---|
| Chilmark | $2.28 |
| Edgartown | $2.48 |
| Nantucket | $3.12 |
| Chatham | $3.67 |
| Dennis | $4.29 |
| Oak Bluffs | $4.99 |
| Falmouth | $5.73 |
| Harwich | $5.81 |
| Orleans | $6.11 |
| Provincetown | $6.13 |
| Truro | $6.17 |
| Mashpee | $6.41 |
| Brewster | $6.77 |
| Barnstable | $6.80 |
| Yarmouth | $6.97 |
| Wellfleet | $7.10 |
| Bourne | $7.65 |
| Eastham | $7.71 |
| Sandwich | $10.19 |
Yarmouth’s residential rate of $6.97 per $1,000 is in the top quarter of the Cape and Islands — only Wellfleet, Bourne, Eastham, and Sandwich are higher. Yarmouth is already paying more than Barnstable, Brewster, Mashpee, Truro, Provincetown, Orleans, Harwich, Falmouth, Oak Bluffs, Dennis, Chatham, Nantucket, Edgartown, and Chilmark.
A “yes” on Question 1 and Question 2 is a vote to push that rate higher, permanently. The combined Q1 + Q2 override adds approximately $0.305 per $1,000 on top of the current rate — baked in forever, compounding every year.
The Cape Cod Survival Budget — a single-parent family of three, bare minimum. No luxuries. No margin.
| Mortgage / Rent | $2,700 |
| Property Tax | $592 |
| Utilities | $800 |
| Groceries | $975 |
| Health Insurance | $450 |
| Car Insurance | $200 |
| Gas | $260 |
| Phone | $200 |
| Internet | $85 |
| Car Payment | $375 |
| Water / Sewer / Trash | $125 |
| Monthly Total | $6,762 |
| Annual Total | $81,140 |
A two-earner household at the Yarmouth median is already $1,561 in the hole every month — before buying a single pair of shoes. A single parent is underwater by over $4,000 a month. And they want to add more to your property tax bill. Permanently.
Every voter gets a say. But not every voter pays the bill.
The override amounts are just the headline number. Here's what's underneath.
These overrides don't exist in a vacuum. They land on top of a Cape Cod affordability crisis that's already driving families out.
Cape Cod will have no middle class. The people who built this community, who teach in these schools, who staff the hospitals and fix the roads — they can't afford to live here. These overrides will only make it worse.
Governor Healey declared a state of emergency in August 2023. Since then, Massachusetts has spent over $1 billion on migrant shelter operations.
| Fiscal Year | Appropriated | Actual Spending | Overrun |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2023 | $196.9M | $196.9M | — |
| FY2024 | $219.4M | $894M | 4x overrun |
| FY2025 (projected) | $326M | $978M+ | 3x overrun |
Towns are not getting adequate funding from the state due to all the expenditures on illegal aliens — over $1 billion per year. And we aren't being given the audit that 72% of us voted for to see exactly how our money has been wasted.
| Metric | Data |
|---|---|
| ELL students (English Language Learners) | 371 |
| ELL program cost | $1.69M |
| Barnstable County homeless count | 568 |
| Homeless count increase | +33% |
| Median home price | $625K+ |
| Rental vacancy rate | <1% |
Get straight-talk updates on the May 19 ballot — and on the future Yarmouth issues that follow. Email or text. Two separate opt-ins, both optional, both opt-out anytime. Yard sign optional too.
Sign Up for Updates →Read the ballot questions. See the facts. Then vote NO on Q1, Q2, and Q4 on May 19. Polls open 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM.