MassVoter.com← CarverMunicipal votes · 2024–2025 Board
Carver Select Board
How the Carver Select Board voted, from the Select Board’s official minutes. 5 Select Board members elected townwide. Same five members. On April 30, 2024 the board chose John Cotter as Chair and Jim Hoffman as Vice Chair (each by a roll call of all five members). Covers 30 meetings, April 30 to April 15, 2025.
A monthly email on what it voted on, starting in November.
What does the Select Board do? It is the town’s executive board. It prepares the Town Meeting warrant (the list of articles voters decide), appoints members of many town boards, hires the town’s top staff, signs warrants to pay town bills, and grants licenses and permits.
Town Meeting, not the Select Board, votes the town budget and town bylaws.
Sources: Massachusetts Select Board Handbook (MMA) · Mass. Division of Local Services: the town budgetBoard years
Coming up
- Thu, Oct 15SB sub committee 10/15/26 agenda →
From the agendas Carver posts on its official site. Agendas can change; the posted agenda is the official one.
What Town Meeting decided
In Carver, Town Meeting — not the Select Board — votes the town budget, bylaws and zoning. Here is what it did with each article, in the Town Clerk’s own words. Any registered voter can take part, and most votes are by voice or show of hands, so there is no list of who voted which way.
Special Town Meeting · April 7, 2026 2 votes: 2 passed
- Art. 1 Transfer $60,000 from ambulance receipts to the FY2026 EMS salary budget Passed “ARTICLE 1 PASSES · 125 YES/ 5 NO”
- Art. 2 Transfer $250,000 from free cash to the FY2026 North Carver Water District budget Passed “ARTICLE 1 PASSES · 94 YES/ 40 NO”
Source: Town Clerk's minutes, April 7, 2026 Special Town Meeting (scanned).
Annual Town Meeting · April 7, 2026 20 votes: 17 passed, 1 passed as amended, 2 failed
- Art. 1 Accept the 2025 Annual Town Report Passed “VOICE VOTE WAS UNANIMOUS ARTICLE 1 PASSES”
- Art. 2 Transfer $217,500 from free cash; amended to $50,000 radios, $130,000 compensated absences, $27,500 tree removal, $10,000 fireworks Passed as amended “PASSES · 131 YES/ 21 NO”
- Art. 3 Pay a $150 prior-year stipend to a Redevelopment Authority member Passed “VOICE VOTE ARTICLE 3 PASSES UNANIMOUS”
- Art. 4 Raise $150,000 for the Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) fund Passed “PASSES · 113 YES / 32 NO”
- Art. 5 FY2027 operating budget: total appropriation of $54,517,039 for town and school Passed “PASSES · 119 YES/ 23 NO”
- Art. 6 FY2027 North Carver Water District Enterprise Fund budget of $650,000, incl. $400,000 subsidy from free cash Passed “PASSES · 92 YES/ 49 NO”
- Art. 7 · motion 1 Raise $1,510,295 to supplement the FY2027 health insurance budget Passed “PASSES · 118 YES/ 30 NO”
- Art. 7 · motion 2 Transfer $2,489,705 ($1,465,785 free cash, $1,023,920 solar fund) to cover the FY2026 health insurance shortfall Passed “PASSES · 120 YES/ 17 NO”
- Art. 8 · motion 1 Capital: borrow $800,000 for fire personal protective equipment Passed “PASSES · 106 YES/ 13 NO”
- Art. 8 · motion 2 Capital: borrow $75,000 for a police cruiser Passed “PASSES · 91 YES/ 42 NO”
- Art. 8 · motion 3 Capital: borrow $30,000 for a police fingerprint scanner Passed “PASSES · 141 YES/ 15 NO”
- Art. 8 · motion 4 Capital: borrow $110,000 for state-required municipal well upgrades Passed “PASSES · 122 YES/ 30 NO”
- Art. 8 · motion 5 Capital: borrow $95,000 to replace a dump truck with plow Passed “PASSES · 107 YES/ 44 NO”
- Art. 8 · motion 6 Capital: borrow $80,000 for a Middle-High School weight room Failed “FAILS · 67 YES/ 82 NO”
- Art. 8 · motion 7 Capital: borrow $141,750 for a 71-passenger school bus Failed “FAILS · 96 YES/ 51 NO”
- Art. 8 · motion 8 Capital: $70,000 from ambulance receipts for an EMS command vehicle Passed “PASSES BY SIMPLE MAJORITY · 128 YES/ 19 NO”
- Art. 9 Set revolving fund spending limits and add a Council on Aging (GATRA) revolving fund with a $250,000 limit Passed “PASSES · 115 YES/ 6 NO”
- Art. 10 Community Preservation FY2027 budget of $932,000, incl. $50,000 for 44 Lakeview Street and $2,500 for 250th anniversary flags Passed “PASSES · 108 YES/ 11 NO”
- Art. 11 Let the School Committee sign an agreement with state agencies for student transportation reimbursement Passed “PASSES · 111 YES/ 6 NO”
- Art. 12 Swap Town land off South Main Street with the South Carver Union Society, gaining land for Union Cemetery Passed “PASSES · 107 YES/ 7 NO”
Source: Town Clerk's minutes, 2026 Annual Town Meeting (scanned).
Special Town Meeting · October 7, 2025 12 votes: 7 passed, 1 passed as amended, 3 failed, 1 indefinitely postponed
- Art. 1 Pay $1,349.42 in prior-year bills Passed “PASSES BY UNANIMOUS VOICE VOTE”
- Art. 2 Add $9,268 to FY2026 Fire Department salaries; amended to take the sum from the Town Planner salary line Passed as amended “PASSES · 275 YES/65 NO”
- Art. 3 Appropriate $37,630.25 for alarms and chemical pumps at municipal and school wells Passed “PASSES · 372 YES/44 NO”
- Art. 4 Accept veterans' property tax exemption for homes held in trust (Clause 22G) Passed “PASSES · 379 YES/40 NO”
- Art. 5 Approve a battery energy storage PILOT agreement with Cranberry Point Energy Storage, LLC Passed “PASSES · 347 YES/ 64 NO”
- Art. 6 Zoning: allow earth removal as a permitted use in the Green Business Park district Indefinitely postponed “VOTE TO INDEFINETLY POSTPONE: PASSES · 223 YES/180 NO”
- Art. 7 Zoning: further changes to the accessory apartment (ADU) bylaw after Attorney General review Passed “PASSES · 335 YES/ 83 NO”
- Art. 8 Zoning: create an MBTA Communities multifamily overlay district Failed “FAILS · 26 YES/ 394 NO”
- Art. 9 Non-binding: recommend the regional refuse district start the process to sell the Rochester landfill property Passed “PASSES · 211 YES/ 37 NO”
- Art. 10 Non-binding: recommend starting the process to dissolve the Carver-Marion-Wareham Regional Refuse Disposal District Passed “PASSES · 228 YES/ 21 NO”
- Art. 11 Citizen petition: rezone three Shoestring Road parcels from Residential-Agricultural to General Business and add them to the tourist overlay district Failed “FAILS BY 2/3RDS VOTE · 33 YES/ 216 NO”
- Art. 12 Citizen petition: ask the Select Board to challenge the 40B affordable housing law Failed “FAILS · 53 YES/ 104 NO”
Source: Town Clerk's minutes, October 7, 2025 Special Town Meeting.
Annual Town Meeting · April 8, 2025 29 votes: 24 passed, 3 passed as amended, 2 failed
- Art. 1 Accept the 2024 Annual Town Report Passed “VOICE VOTE WAS UNANIMOUS ARTICLE 1 PASSES”
- Art. 2 Transfer $1,675,918 from free cash to reserves and funds (stabilization, OPEB, water district subsidy and others) Passed “ARTICLE 2 PASSES · 138 YES/ 17 NO”
- Art. 3 FY2026 operating budget: total appropriation of $52,283,431 for town and school Passed “ARTICLE 3 PASSES · 135 YES/ 40 NO”
- Art. 4 FY2026 North Carver Water District Enterprise Fund budget of $650,000 Passed “ARTICLE 4 PASSES · 131 YES/ 66 NO”
- Art. 5A Capital budget part A: $1,300,000 from free cash for 18 items and $350,000 from ambulance receipts for a new ambulance Passed “PART A PASSES · 169 YES/ 25 NO”
- Art. 5B Capital budget part B: borrow $2,400,000 for a fire ladder truck Passed “PART B PASSES · 157 YES/ 48 NO”
- Art. 6 Put $1,038,926.60 into the Middle High School Building Stabilization Fund Passed “ARTICLE 6 PASSES · 155 YES/ 31 NO”
- Art. 7 Cancel unused borrowing authority for three finished projects ($96,760; $1,854,058; $1,063,200) Passed “ARTICLE 7 PASSES · 180 YES/ 10 NO”
- Art. 8 Set revolving fund spending limits (motion raised the Fire Department limit to $30,000) Passed “ARTICLE 8 PASSES · 134 YES/ 17 NO”
- Art. 9 Community Preservation FY2026 budget of $1,255,000, incl. $375,000 for Weweantic River conservation restrictions Passed “ARTICLE 9 PASSES · 139 YES/ 8 NO”
- Art. 10 Pay prior-year bills, amended to a total of $1,896.54 Passed as amended “ARTICLE 10 PASSES · 165 YES/19 NO”
- Art. 11 Ask the Legislature to dissolve the North Carver Water District and move its duties to the Town Passed “ARTICLE 11 PASSES · 110 YES/ 81 NO”
- Art. 12 Allow Town trust funds to be invested under the "Prudent Investment Rule" Passed “ARTICLE 12 PASSES · 177 YES/ 8 NO”
- Art. 13 Allow licensed individuals to carry firearms in Town administrative buildings Passed “ARTICLE 13 PASSES · 144 YES/ 41 NO”
- Art. 14 Accept the "Mullin Rule" (G.L. c.39, s.23D) for adjudicatory hearings Passed “ARTICLE 14 PASSES · 101 YES/ 51 NO”
- Art. 15 Accept yearly cost-of-living increases for veterans' property tax exemptions (Clause 22I) Passed “ARTICLE 15 PASSES · 156 YES/ 7 NO”
- Art. 16 Accept an additional veterans' property tax exemption equal to 100% of other exemptions (Clause 22J) Passed “ARTICLE 16 PASSES · 151 YES/ 10 NO”
- Art. 17 Approve four solar payment-in-lieu-of-tax (PILOT) agreements Passed “ARTICLE 17 PASSES · 136 YES/ 20 NO”
- Art. 18 Amend the bylaw on denying licenses to delinquent taxpayers (drop the 12-month waiting period) Passed “ARTICLE 18 PASSES · 133 YES/ 18 NO”
- Art. 19 Wetlands bylaw: add a definition of "cranberry bog" Passed “ARTICLE 19 PASSES · 88 YES/ 61 NO”
- Art. 20 Wetlands bylaw: add "cranberry bog" to the areas the bylaw covers Passed “ARTICLE 20 PASSES · 99 YES/ 46 NO”
- Art. 21 Wetlands bylaw: reference the state exemptions for land in agricultural use Passed “ARTICLE 21 PASSES · 122 YES/ 25 NO”
- Art. 22 Wetlands bylaw: change the maximum fine for violations Passed “ARTICLE 22 PASSES · 97 YES/ 32 NO”
- Art. 23 Zoning: update the accessory apartment (ADU) bylaw to match new state law Passed as amended “ARTICLE 23 PASSES AS AMENDED · 96 YES/ 38 NO”
- Art. 24 Zoning: correct the use table for mixed-use structures and dwelling units above commercial uses Passed “ARTICLE 24 PASSES · 116 YES/ 21 NO”
- Art. 25 Zoning: delete the expired "Rate of Development" section Passed “ARTICLE 25 PASSES · 118 YES/ 19 NO”
- Art. 26 Zoning: raise minimum residential lot size from 60,000 to 80,000 sq. ft. and frontage from 150 to 200 feet Failed “ARTICLE 26 FAILS · 32 YES/ 115 NO”
- Art. 27 Citizen petition: change local election hours (amended to 9 A.M.-4 P.M. plus an early voting day) Passed as amended “CITIZENS PETITION ARTICLE 27 AS AMENDED PASSES · 118 YES/ 23 NO”
- Art. 28 Citizen petition: create an elected Earth Removal Committee with limits on who may serve Failed “CITIZENS PETITION ARTICLE 28 FAILS · 14 YES/ 124 NO”
Source: Town Clerk's minutes in the 2025 Annual Town Report.
Annual Town Meeting · June 4, 2024 16 votes: 12 passed, 1 failed, 3 indefinitely postponed
- Art. 1 Accept the 2023 Annual Town Report Passed “BY VOICE VOTE WAS UNANIMOUS”
- Art. 2 FY2025 operating budget: total appropriation of $53,197,609.96 for town and school Passed “ARTICLE PASSES · 129 YES/29 NO”
- Art. 3 FY2025 North Carver Water District Enterprise Fund budget of $636,221 Passed “ARTICLE PASSES · 113 YES / 54 NO”
- Art. 4 Capital improvements budget of $1,260,000 (fire, police, schools, IT, maintenance) from free cash, capital balances and solar revenue Passed “ARTICLE PASSES · 145 YES/18 NO”
- Art. 5 Create a school athletics advertising revolving fund with a $50,000 spending limit Passed “ARTICLE PASSES · 139 YES/20 NO”
- Art. 6 Community Preservation FY2025 budget: $1,004,750 in appropriations and reserves, incl. $105,425 for cleanup at 11 Green Street Passed “ARTICLE PASSES · YES 146/12 NO”
- Art. 7 Accept donated land at 56 Fosdick Road for conservation Passed “PASSES · 152 YES/13 NO”
- Art. 8 Raise the maximum senior and veteran tax work-off credit from $1,000 to $1,500 Passed “PASSES · 157 YES/ 5 NO”
- Art. 9 Ask the Legislature to let the Town keep paying 75% (instead of 50%) of health insurance premiums for employees retiring after June 30, 2025 Passed “PASSES · 127 YES/ 35 NO”
- Art. 10 Adopt the renumbered and revised General Bylaws as the Code of the Town of Carver Passed “ARTICLE PASSES · 143 YES/17 NO”
- Art. 11 Accept the "Mullin Rule" (G.L. c.39, s.23D) for adjudicatory hearings Indefinitely postponed “TO INDEFINETLY POSTPONE. · 135 YES/ 22 NO”
- Art. 12 Amend the Finance Committee bylaw (role, member stipend, eligibility to serve) Passed “ARTICLE PASSES AS WRITTEN · 87 YES/62 NO”
- Art. 13 Adopt the renumbered and revised Zoning Bylaw as Chapter 290 of the Town Code Passed “ARTICLE PASSES · 148 YES/9 NO”
- Art. 14 Citizen petition: change Finance Committee eligibility rules (bylaw 4.3.7) Indefinitely postponed “PASSES TO INDEFINETLY POSTPONE · 147 YES/ 4 NO”
- Art. 15 Citizen petition: replace Finance Committee eligibility bylaw 4.3.7 Indefinitely postponed “VOICE VOTE TO INDEFINETLY POSTPONE PASSES”
- Art. 16 Citizen petition: require a Planning Board permit for lithium-ion battery storage of 10 megawatts or more Failed “FAILS BY MAJORITY VOTE · 71 YES/ 91 NO”
Source: Town Clerk's minutes in the 2024 Annual Town Report.
Titles are short descriptions of each article from the official record; the quoted words are the Town Clerk’s. A vote at Town Meeting is not the final word on everything: some articles also need a ballot vote (such as a tax override) or the Attorney General’s approval (bylaws).
Members
Sarah HewinsMember · Elected townwide · at 23 of 30 meetingsDan RyanMember · Elected townwide · at 27 of 30 meetings
Mark TownsendMember · Elected townwide · at 28 of 30 meetings"At X of Y meetings" counts the members the minutes list as present at the start of each meeting in this record. Members who step out are listed on each meeting page.
Meetings
About missing minutes
Loaded: Select Board minutes from January 16, 2018 through September 8, 2026. Minutes from 2025 on come from the town’s online Agenda Center; earlier minutes come from the Select Board folder of the town’s Document Center, which holds minutes back to 2013 (MassVoter has loaded 2018 on). Not here: executive-session minutes; minutes of the board’s two-member subcommittee; minutes the town has not posted, including October 21, 2025, May 28, 2026 (an executive session) and July 9, 2026 (a dog hearing); and meetings after September 8, 2026. The archive holds fewer meetings for 2018 (16) and 2019 (24) than for later years, and none between August 15 and October 6, 2023. Most minutes are typed; 21 are scanned copies, which MassVoter read with text-recognition software and checked by hand. Carver’s minutes usually give a count such as “Vote 5-0” or “Vote 4 to 1 (Cotter)”; from mid-2024 many also list each member’s vote, and executive-session votes are roll calls. When the count matches the members present, we show every member present as voting yes, and when the minutes name the members who voted no or abstained, everyone else present as voting yes. Where the minutes give only a split count without names, list a member as absent who then makes or votes on motions, or the names and the count do not match, we show the count only and add a note. Votes taken by other boards at joint meetings (such as the Finance Committee and Planning Board), and joint votes of the Select Board with another board to fill a vacancy, are not included. We will ask the town to confirm any noted vote.
Votes where members disagreed
Most board votes are unanimous. These are the ones where at least one member voted no or abstained, newest first.
Apr 15Approve this policyMotion: approve this policyPassed 3–1 · No: Hewins
April 15, 2025: Approve this policy
Approve this policy
Yes: Cotter, Hoffman, TownsendNo: Hewins
From the minutes
“Motion was made by Mr. Hoffman to approve this policy and seconded by Mr. Townsend. Vote: 3 to 1 (Ms. Hewins opposed).” (Motion: Hoffman, second: Townsend)
Apr 15Approve to update Section 25-5Motion: approve to update Section 25-5Passed 3–1 · No: Hewins
April 15, 2025: Approve to update Section 25-5
Approve to update Section 25-5
Yes: Cotter, Hoffman, TownsendNo: Hewins
From the minutes
“Motion to approve to update Section 25-5 by Mr. Hoffman and seconded by Mr. Townsend. Vote: 3 to 1 (Ms. Hewins opposed).” (Motion: Hoffman, second: Townsend)
Mar 18Recommend Article 4Motion: recommend Article 4Passed 3–1 · No: Cotter
March 18, 2025: Recommend Article 4
Recommend Article 4
Yes: Hewins, Ryan, TownsendNo: Cotter
From the minutes
“Motion to recommend Article 4 by Ryan, second by Hewins. Vote 3-1 (Cotter).” (Motion: Ryan, second: Hewins)
Mar 18Add the article as amendedMotion: add the article as amendedPassed 3–1 · No: Cotter
March 18, 2025: Add the article as amended
Add the article as amended
Yes: Hewins, Ryan, TownsendNo: Cotter
From the minutes
“Motion to add the article as amended by Ryan, second by Hewins. Vote 3-1 (Cotter).” (Motion: Ryan, second: Hewins)
Mar 18Recommend the article: Article 2 Free CashMotion: recommend the articlePassed 3–1 · No: Cotter
March 18, 2025: Recommend the article: Article 2 Free Cash
Recommend the article
Yes: Hewins, Ryan, TownsendNo: Cotter
From the minutes
“Motion to recommend the article by Hewins, second by Townsend. Vote 3-1 (Cotter).” (Motion: Hewins, second: Townsend)
Mar 18Recommend the Town Operating Budget, Fixed Liabilities & School…Motion: recommend the Town Operating Budget, Fixed Liabilities & School Budget calculations…Passed 3–1 · No: Cotter
March 18, 2025: Recommend the Town Operating Budget, Fixed Liabilities & School Budget calculations that Cannon confirmed as well as editing the information summary
Recommend the Town Operating Budget, Fixed Liabilities & School Budget calculations that Cannon confirmed as well as editing the information summary
Yes: Hewins, Ryan, TownsendNo: Cotter
From the minutes
“Motion to recommend the Town Operating Budget, Fixed Liabilities & School Budget calculations that Cannon confirmed as well as editing the information summary by Ryan, second by Hewins. Vote 3-1 (Cotter).” (Motion: Ryan, second: Hewins)
Mar 11Authorize the Town Administrator to signMotion: authorize the Town Administrator to signPassed 3–0 · Abstained: Townsend
March 11, 2025: Authorize the Town Administrator to sign
Authorize the Town Administrator to sign
Yes: Cotter, Hewins, RyanAbstained: Townsend
From the minutes
“Motion to authorize the Town Administrator to sign by Hewins, second by Ryan. Vote 3-0-1, Townsend abstained..” (Motion: Hewins, second: Ryan)
Mar 4Approve the rate increase for FY 2026 for Clifford…Motion: approve the rate increase for FY 2026 for Clifford and KennyPassed 4–1 · see note
March 4, 2025: Approve the rate increase for FY 2026 for Clifford and Kenny
Approve the rate increase for FY 2026 for Clifford and Kenny
The minutes give the count (4-1) and name John Cotter, but the names and the count do not match the members present (4 members were present), so individual votes are not shown. The minutes say Mark Townsend made the motion, but Mark Townsend is not on the attendance list for this vote.
From the minutes
“Mr. Townsend made a motion to approve the rate increase for FY 2026 for Clifford and Kenny and it was seconded by Mr. Hewins. Vote 4 to 1 (Mr. Cotter opposed).” (second: Hewins)
Mar 4Approve the one-day licenseMotion: approve the one-day licensePassed 5–0 · see note
March 4, 2025: Approve the one-day license
Approve the one-day license
The minutes record the vote as 5-0, but 4 members were present (John Cotter, Jim Hoffman, Dan Ryan and Sarah Hewins), so it is not clear how each member voted. The minutes say Mark Townsend made the motion, but Mark Townsend is not on the attendance list for this vote.
From the minutes
“Mr. Townsend made a motion to approve the one-day license and was seconded by Ms. Hewins. Vote: 5 to 0.” (second: Hewins)
Feb 25Accept Article 30 as writtenMotion: accept Article 30 as writtenPassed 3–1 · see note
February 25, 2025: Accept Article 30 as written
Accept Article 30 as written
The minutes give only the count (3-1), not how each member voted.
From the minutes
“Mr. Ryan made a motion to accept Article 30 as written and was second by Mr. Townsend. Vote 3 to 1.” (Motion: Ryan, second: Townsend)
From the Carver Select Board’s official minutes, posted in the town’s Agenda Center (2025 on) and its Document Center archive (earlier years). We check every vote against the Select Board members present and quote the exact wording. MassVoter never grades or scores officials. Photos of current members: Mark Townsend and Sarah Hewins from Wareham Week (January 2026); Jim Elliman from Area 58 video of the October 6, 2026 Select Board meeting (identified by the nameplate in front of each member). Members without a photo show initials.
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