MassVoter.com← EasthamMunicipal votes · 2017–2018 Board
Eastham Select Board
How the Eastham Select Board voted, from the Select Board’s official minutes. 5 Select Board members elected townwide. William O’Shea chaired the Board of Selectmen, with Wallace Adams as Vice Chair and John Knight as Clerk. MassVoter has loaded this board’s minutes from January 2, 2018 on. Covers 21 meetings, January 2 to May 9, 2018.
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
No upcoming meeting is posted yet. Check the official calendar →
Under the state Open Meeting Law, boards post notice at least 48 hours ahead, not counting weekends and legal holidays.
What Town Meeting decided
In Eastham, 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.
Annual Town Meeting · May 4, 2026 38 votes: 30 passed, 1 failed, 2 indefinitely postponed, 4 referred, 1 advisory
Sessions: May 4 and 5, 2026
- Art. 1 Set FY27 spending limits for revolving funds Passed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 494 No 32”
- Art. 2A FY27 general fund operating budget, $47,100,961, contingent on a Prop. 2½ override Passed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 437 No 106”
- Art. 2B Appropriate $1,100,000 for first-year costs of union and personnel contracts, contingent on an override Passed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 480 No 62”
- Art. 2C FY27 Water Enterprise Fund budget, $1,035,678 Passed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 502 No 31”
- 2D-A Add Council on Aging program staff, $37,500, contingent on an override Passed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 417 No 119”
- 2D-B Add Recreation Department program staff, $87,500, contingent on an override Passed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 405 No 131”
- 2D-C Expand online permitting town-wide, $45,000, contingent on an override Passed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 396 No 131”
- 2D-D Increase pre-school tuition program funding, $75,000, contingent on an override Passed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 456 No 61”
- Art. 3A Accept the FY2027–FY2032 Capital Improvement Plan Passed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 418 No 47”
- Art. 3B FY27 capital budget, $2,617,500 Passed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 396 No 73”
- Art. 4A Other appropriations from free cash, $2,110,000 (stabilization, wastewater, housing, PFAS and more) Passed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 436 No 45”
- Art. 4B Accept Ch. 40 §39M: water infrastructure fund with a 1.25% property tax surcharge from FY2028 Passed “Passed – Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 409 No 55”
- Art. 4C Reduce the Community Preservation Act surcharge from 3% to 1.75% starting FY2028 Passed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 393 No 61”
- Art. 4D Establish a Water Resources Enterprise Fund (Ch. 44 §53F½) Passed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 431 No 31”
- Art. 4E Supplemental funding for Phase 1 of the Targeted Watershed Management Plan Indefinitely postponed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 403 No 20”
- Art. 5A Accept HERO Act veterans' exemption options: annual COLA (Cl. 22I) and 50% increase (Cl. 22J) Passed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 427 No 25”
- Art. 5B Amend business certificate bylaw: term from two to four years Passed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 428 No 13”
- Art. 5C Amend kennel bylaw definitions and penalties Indefinitely postponed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 427 No 11”
- Art. 5D Acquire a utility easement on Thoreau Drive and assign it to a utility Passed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 434 No 10”
- Art. 6A Home rule petition to extend the residential tax exemption to year-round rental housing Passed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 358 No 78”
- Art. 6B Home rule petition to prohibit applying fertilizer in Eastham, with exceptions Passed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 293 No 142”
- Art. 7A Appropriate and reserve $1,440,072 of FY27 Community Preservation revenues Passed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 350 No 21”
- 7B-A $11,500 in Community Preservation funds for two trailhead kiosks Passed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 305 No 51”
- 7B-B $193,000 in Community Preservation funds for a Herring Pond alum treatment Passed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 315 No 37”
- 7B-C $150,000 in Community Preservation funds for the elementary school playground Passed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 314 No 29”
- 7B-D $2,750 in Community Preservation funds for an Eastham Windmill study Passed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 318 No 24”
- 7B-E $10,000 in Community Preservation funds for the Lower Cape Housing Institute Passed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 299 No 35”
- 7B-F $25,000 in Community Preservation funds for Chapel in the Pines preservation Passed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 310 No 24”
- Art. 8A Zoning: amend Section 19 (Administration) Passed “Passed 2/3rds vote declared by Moderator · Yes 298 No 22”
- Art. 8B Zoning: amend residential lot intensity rules Referred “Passed – Majority vote Declared by Moderator · Yes 196 No 126”
- Art. 8C Zoning: prohibit solid panel fences of non-natural materials along street-facing lines Failed “Failed 2/3rds vote declared by Moderator · Yes 161 No 93”
- Art. 8D Zoning: prohibited uses – formula businesses and drive-thru facilities (new 6.7) Passed “Passed 2/3rds vote declared by Moderator · Yes 211 No 26”
- Art. 8E Zoning: amend the sign code (incl. short-term rental sign season, window signs, prohibitions) Passed “Passed – Majority vote Declared by Moderator · Yes 245 No 103”
- Art. 8F Zoning: amend inclusionary zoning (Section 7.7) Passed “Passed 2/3rds vote declared by Moderator · Yes 339 No 41”
- Art. 8G Zoning: amend setbacks (Section 7.2) Referred “Passed majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 312 No 69”
- Art. 8H Zoning: amend definitions (Section 21) Referred “Passed majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 328 No 42”
- Art. 8I Zoning: storage of campers, RVs, trailers and containers in residential districts Referred “Passed majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 328 No 42”
- Art. 9A Petition: non-binding resolution supporting Medicare for All bills S.860/H.1405 Advisory “Passed majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 298 No 77”
Source: Town Clerk's minutes of the May 4–5, 2026 Annual Town Meeting.
Special Town Meeting · June 23, 2025 1 votes: 1 passed
- Art. 1 Appropriate/borrow $170,000,000 for Phase 1 of the Targeted Watershed Management Plan (wastewater), subject to a debt exclusion Passed “A 2/3rds majority was obtained, and the motion was approved. · Yes 537 No 96”
Source: Town Clerk's minutes of the June 23, 2025 Special Town Meeting.
Annual Town Meeting · May 5, 2025 23 votes: 22 passed, 1 failed
- Art. 1 Set spending limits for revolving funds Passed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 450 No 20”
- Art. 2A FY26 general fund operating budget, $45,698,949 Passed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 443 No 29”
- Art. 2B FY26 Water Enterprise Fund budget, $1,000,432 Passed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 442 No 38”
- Art. 3A Accept the FY2026–FY2031 Capital Improvement Plan Passed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 437 No 39”
- Art. 3B FY26 capital budget, $2,400,000 Passed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 442 No 33”
- Art. 4A Other appropriations from free cash, $2,350,000 (wastewater stabilization, housing programs and more) Passed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 438 No 44”
- Art. 4B Adopt the Prudent Investment Rule for town trust funds (Ch. 44 §54(b)) Passed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 445 No 37”
- Art. 4C Establish a wastewater enterprise fund (Ch. 44 §53F½) Passed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 436 No 47”
- Art. 4D Acquire two condominium units at 2845 and 2825 State Highway for housing, a pump station and stormwater work Passed “Passed- 2/3 vote declared by Moderator · Yes 416 No 68”
- Art. 4E Transfer 2835 and 2815 State Highway units from tax title custody to the Select Board, with authority to dispose Passed “Passed- 2/3 vote declared by Moderator · Yes 438 No 42”
- Art. 5A Accept the Seasonal Community designation (Ch. 23B §32(b)) Passed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 418 No 64”
- Art. 6A Home rule petition for a real estate transfer fee of up to 3% on purchases over $1 million Passed “Passed- Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 267 No 76”
- Art. 7A Zoning: revise the Eastham Corridor Special District (Section 3.8) Passed “Passed- 2/3 vote declared by Moderator · Yes 415 No 56”
- Art. 7B Zoning: update accessory dwelling unit rules to match the Affordable Homes Act Passed “Passed- majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 408 No 49”
- Art. 8A Appropriate and reserve $1,266,167 of FY26 Community Preservation revenues Passed “Passed- majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 402 No 22”
- Art. 8B $380,000 in Community Preservation funds to add 1 community housing unit at 580 Massasoit Road Passed “Passed- majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 365 No 68”
- Art. 8C $10,000 in Community Preservation funds for the Cape Housing Institute Passed “Passed- majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 358 No 50”
- Art. 8D $55,186 in Community Preservation funds for phase 2 of Eastham Elementary playground upgrades Passed “Passed- majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 388 No 26”
- Art. 8E $11,000 in Community Preservation funds for two trailhead kiosks at Wiley Park Passed “Passed- majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 323 No 84”
- Art. 8F $40,000 in Community Preservation funds for historic property surveys Passed “Passed- majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 307 No 96”
- Art. 8G $50,000 in Community Preservation funds toward buying 0.69 acre at 20 Deacon Paine Road Passed “Passed- majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 326 No 34”
- Art. 8H $50,000 in Community Preservation funds for the FORWARD adult community housing project Passed “Passed- majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 369 No 29”
- Art. 9A Petition: direct the Select Board to hire an independent tax strategy audit before FY2026 tax changes Failed “Failed- majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 54 No 304”
Source: Town Clerk's minutes of the May 5, 2025 Annual Town Meeting.
Annual Town Meeting · May 4, 2024 27 votes: 27 passed
- Art. 1 Set FY25 spending limits for revolving funds Passed “Passed – Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 270 No 07”
- Art. 2A FY25 general fund operating budget, $44,180,055 Passed “Passed – Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 235 No 56”
- Art. 2B Accept Ch. 71 §16B to use the regional agreement formula for Nauset school assessments (FY25) Passed “Passed – Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 274 No 11”
- Art. 2C FY25 Water Enterprise Fund budget, $617,509 Passed “Passed – Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 285 No 10 Abstain 01”
- Art. 2D Appropriate $300,000 for two more police officers, contingent on a Prop. 2½ override Passed “Passed – Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 277 No 25”
- Art. 3A Accept the FY25–30 Capital Improvement Plan (voted together with 3B) Passed “Passed – Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 261 No 19”
- Art. 3B FY25 capital budget, $3,322,000 from free cash, ambulance fund and tax levy (voted together with 3A) Passed “Passed – Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 261 No 19”
- Art. 3C Lease-purchase an ambulance (up to $505,000); $120,000 from the Ambulance Fund for year one Passed “Passed – 2/3rd Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 272 No 17”
- Art. 4 Other appropriations, $1,905,000 (stabilization, OPEB, wastewater stabilization, IT and more) Passed “Passed – Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 264 No 19 Abstain 01”
- Art. 5A Adopt the Specialized Energy Code as general bylaw Section 138 Passed “Passed - Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 187 No 89”
- Art. 5B Acquire two parcels from the National Park Service (Route 6 for aquaculture; Nauset Light Beach Road) Passed “Passed - Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 242 No 08”
- Art. 5C Transfer 1350 Nauset Road land to the Select Board to convey by agreement with the National Park Service Passed “Passed – 2/3rds Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 265 No 09”
- Art. 5D Add general bylaw Ch. 40 on prohibitions related to short-term rental of residential property Passed “Passed - Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 237 No 41”
- Art. 6 Home rule petition to allow a Pesticide Reduction Bylaw Passed “Passed - Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 167 No 57”
- Art. 7A Zoning: prohibit time share, fractional and interval ownership units Passed “Passed - 2/3 Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 213 No 07”
- Art. 7B Zoning: amend perimeter vegetation rules (Section 7.2.6) Passed “Passed - 2/3 Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 193 No 12”
- Art. 7C Zoning: site coverage standards for lots with more than one principal dwelling Passed “Passed - 2/3 Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 194 No 08”
- Art. 7D Zoning: amend definitions (Section 21), including buildable upland Passed “Passed - 2/3 Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 196 No 04”
- Art. 8A Appropriate and reserve $1,251,791 of FY25 Community Preservation revenues (voted with 8B–8C) Passed “Passed - Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 190 No 14”
- Art. 8B $10,000 in Community Preservation funds for the Cape Housing Institute (voted with 8A–8C) Passed “Passed - Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 190 No 14”
- Art. 8C $740,000 in Community Preservation funds for historic rehabilitation of 580 Massasoit Road (voted with 8A–8C) Passed “Passed - Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 190 No 14”
- Art. 8D $100,000 in Community Preservation funds for the Spring Rock Village affordable housing project in Brewster Passed “Passed - Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 185 No 19”
- Art. 8E $7,500 in Community Preservation funds for Finch Skatepark safety upgrades (voted with 8F, 8H, 8I) Passed “Passed - Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 186 No 10”
- Art. 8F $50,000 in Community Preservation funds for Eastham Elementary playground equipment (voted with 8E, 8H, 8I) Passed “Passed - Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 186 No 10”
- Art. 8G $447,200 in Community Preservation funds to rebuild the Old Schoolhouse Museum north wing Passed “Passed - Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 137 No 45”
- Art. 8H $80,000 in Community Preservation funds to extend the Sandy Meadow accessible trail (voted with 8E, 8F, 8I) Passed “Passed - Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 186 No 10”
- Art. 8I $400,000 from Community Preservation undesignated funds to the community housing reserve (voted with 8E, 8F, 8H) Passed “Passed - Majority vote declared by Moderator · Yes 186 No 10”
Source: Town Clerk's minutes of the May 4, 2024 Annual Town Meeting.
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
"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 (the board was called the Board of Selectmen until September 2019) from January 2, 2018 through September 8, 2026, from the town’s online Agenda Center, which holds minutes back to 2017 (MassVoter has loaded 2018 on). Not here: executive-session minutes; one set of minutes for which the town posted the wrong file (September 27, 2021, which holds the Housing Production Plan instead); minutes the town has not posted, including the February 26, 2026 emergency meeting and June 22, 2026; and every meeting after September 8, 2026. Most minutes are typed; 11 are scanned copies, which MassVoter read with text-recognition software and checked by hand. Eastham’s minutes give the mover, the seconder and a count for each motion, such as “VOTE: Yes 5, No 0” or “VOTE: Yes 4, No 1 (Jamie Rivers)”; many votes, especially from 2018 to 2023, are roll calls that list each member’s vote by name (since 2025 sometimes by first name only, as in “Jerry, Yes”). Warrant-article recommendations in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2023 are recorded in tables. 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, a roll call leaves out a member who was there or names one who was not, or the count does not match the members present, we show the count only and add a note. A few motions have no vote written down; we show those with no count. Members who stepped aside (recused), had not yet arrived or had left are left out of that vote. Votes taken by other boards at joint meetings (such as the Finance Committee) 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 18Approve the Host Agreement as presentedMotion: To approve the Host Agreement as presentedPassed 3–2 · No: McDonald, O’Shea
April 18, 2018: Approve the Host Agreement as presented
To approve the Host Agreement as presented
Yes: Adams, Eckman, KnightNo: McDonald, O’Shea
From the minutes
“Aimée Eckman made a motion to approve the Host Agreement as presented John Knight seconded the motion Roll Call VOTE: William O'Shea, No; Aimée Eckman, Yes; Martin McDonald, No; John Knight, Yes; Wallace Adams, Yes - (Yes 3, No 2).” (Motion: Eckman, second: Knight)
Apr 2Recommend this article in the warrantMotion: To recommend this article in the warrantPassed 4–1 · No: McDonald
April 2, 2018: Recommend this article in the warrant
To recommend this article in the warrant
Yes: Adams, Eckman, Knight, O’SheaNo: McDonald
From the minutes
“Aimée Eckman made a motion to recommend this article in the warrant John Knight seconded the motion Roll Call VOTE: William O'Shea, Yes; Aimée Eckman, Yes; Martin McDonald, No; John Knight, Yes; Wallace Adams, Yes.” (Motion: Eckman, second: Knight)
Mar 19Recommend Article 5: CHAMBER OF COMMERCE GRANTMotion: Recommend Article 5: CHAMBER OF COMMERCE GRANTPassed Unanimous, 4 present · see note
March 19, 2018: Recommend Article 5: CHAMBER OF COMMERCE GRANT
Recommend Article 5: CHAMBER OF COMMERCE GRANT
John Knight stepped aside (recused) and did not take part in this vote.
From the minutes
“5 CHAMBER OF COMMERCE GRANT Wallace Adams 4- 0-1 $16,000 Aimée Eckman John Knight Recused.” (Motion: Adams, second: Eckman)
Mar 7Approve a letter of non-oppositionMotion: To approve a letter of non-oppositionPassed 3–0 · see note
March 7, 2018 (Work Session meeting): Approve a letter of non-opposition
To approve a letter of non-opposition
The minutes give the count (3-0-1) and name Martin McDonald, but the names and count do not match the members present. Showing the count only.
From the minutes
“Aimée Eckman made a motion to approve a letter of non-opposition John Knight seconded the motion VOTE: Yes 3, No 0, Abstain 1 (Martin McDonald).” (Motion: Eckman, second: Knight)
Jan 3Accept the regulations as presentedMotion: To accept the regulations as presentedPassed Unanimous, 4 present · see note
January 3, 2018 (Work Session meeting): Accept the regulations as presented
To accept the regulations as presented
Wallace Adams had left the meeting.
From the minutes
“John Knight made a motion to accept the regulations as presented Martin McDonald seconded the motion VOTE: Yes 4, No 0.” (Motion: Knight, second: McDonald)
From the Eastham Select Board’s official minutes, posted in the town’s Agenda Center. We check every vote against the Select Board members present and quote the exact wording. MassVoter never grades or scores officials. Photos: The Provincetown Independent (courtesy of the members, or by Nigel Diamond and Joe Navas).
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