Dennis Voters Approve All Three Tax Overrides as Incumbents Retain Seats

Proposition 2 ½ is a Massachusetts law that caps annual property tax increases at 2.5 percent unless voters approve an override. In Dennis, the town sought three separate overrides to cover the operating budget, the local school district assessment, and the Cape Cod Regional Technical High School assessment. The town’s fiscal year 2027 budget totals $51.3 million.

The operating budget override of $1.7 million passed by the narrowest margin, receiving 831 yes votes and 709 no votes. The two school-related overrides were approved by wider margins: the Dennis‑Yarmouth Regional School District override for $348,050 passed 1,073 to 472, and the Cape Cod Regional Technical High School override for $44,147 passed 1,116 to 434. In the only contested race, incumbent School Committee member Marilyn Bemis defeated challenger Burt Fisher 965 to 390. All other incumbents—Select Board members Carlyn Carey and Paul McCormick, Water Commissioner Joseph P. Walker II, Housing Authority member Cynthia Stead, and Old Kings Highway commissioner Eric Oman—were reelected without opposition.

The unanimous approval of the overrides gives Dennis the authority to raise property taxes beyond the state cap to fund essential services and school assessments for the coming fiscal year. With incumbents retaining all seats, the town’s leadership continuity suggests policy stability moving forward. Voters will watch how the additional revenues are allocated and whether any future budget pressures prompt further override requests.