Dennis Voters Approve All Tax Overrides, Reelect Incumbents in Low-Turnout May Election

Proposition 2½ limits Massachusetts municipalities to raising property taxes by 2.5 percent each year unless voters approve an override. In Dennis, the Select Board and Finance Committee placed three override questions on the May ballot to fund the town operating budget, the local school district assessment, and the Cape Cod Regional Technical High School assessment. Historically, off-year town elections in Dennis see low participation, and this year was no exception.

- The $1.7 million town operating budget override passed with 831 votes in favor and 709 opposed. - The Dennis‑Yarmouth Regional School Committee override to cover $348,050 of Dennis’s share of a $22 million district assessment passed 1,073 to 472. - The Cape Cod Regional Technical High School assessment override of $44,147 passed 1,116 to 434. - Total ballots cast were 1,556, representing 11.7 percent of the town’s 13,288 registered voters. - All incumbent candidates were reelected: Select Board members Carlyn Carey (1,120 votes) and Paul McCormick (1,057); School Committee member Marilyn Bemis defeated Burt Fisher 965 to 390; Water Commissioner Joseph P. Walker II received 1,297 votes; Housing Authority incumbent Cynthia Stead earned 1,163 votes; Old Kings Highway commissioner Eric Oman won 864 votes in the precincts north of Route 6.

With the overrides approved, Dennis will add $1.7 million to its operating budget for fiscal year 2027, bringing the total town budget to $51.3 million. The school and technical school overrides secure additional funding for regional assessments, ensuring continued participation in those programs. The unanimous incumbent return suggests voter satisfaction with current leadership, though the low turnout raises questions about broader civic engagement. Officials will now need to allocate the new revenues according to the override purposes and report on spending outcomes.