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Sandwich Select Board
How the Sandwich Select Board voted, from the Select Board’s official minutes. 5 Select Board members elected townwide. Same five members. On May 16, 2024 the board chose Charles Holden as Chair and Robert George as Vice Chair (each unanimous). Covers 28 meetings, May 16 to May 1, 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 budgetYour Sandwich ballot: 13 quizzes, about a minute each.
Start my ballot →Board 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 Sandwich, 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 18 votes: 16 passed, 1 failed, 1 indefinitely postponed
- Art. 1 Accept town officer and committee reports and hear the FY2027 Long Range Plan Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 390 yeas and 10 nays”
- Art. 2 Fiscal Year 2027 operating budget ($96,633,182 raised plus transfers) and elected officials' pay Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 285 yeas and 172 nays”
- Art. 3 FY2027 enterprise fund budgets Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 403 yeas and 48 nays”
- Art. 4 Set FY2027 spending limits for revolving funds Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 423 yeas and 46 nays”
- Art. 5 Capital plan: $1,473,000 from free cash plus $842,000 from ambulance, golf and marina funds Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 411 yeas and 57 nays”
- Art. 6 Transfer $300,000 from free cash to cover a projected FY2026 snow and ice deficit Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 439 yeas and 32 nays”
- Art. 7 Accept Chapter 90 state highway aid Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 451 yeas and 20 nays”
- Art. 8 Transfer $38,802 in cell antenna lease receipts for the middle-high school Passed “carried by the Moderator · 447 yeas and 25 nays”
- Art. 9 Transfer $106,670 from beach renourishment receipts Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 429 yeas and 60 nays”
- Art. 10 Transfer $152,800 from rooms tax receipts for the FY2027 Sandwich Promotions Fund Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 414 yeas and 75 nays”
- Art. 11 Transfer $1,600,000 from the Water Infrastructure Investment Fund Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 449 yeas and 45 nays”
- Art. 12 Community Preservation Committee FY2027 budget Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 418 yeas and 56 nays”
- Art. 13 CPC: $505,375 for Oak Crest Cove courts and beach improvements Passed “carried by the Moderator · 422 yeas and 43 nays”
- Art. 14 CPC: $755,300 to rebuild the Sandwich Middle High School multi-purpose courts Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 377 yeas and 78 nays”
- Art. 15 CPC: $50,000 grant toward the YMCA Camp Lyndon ropes course Failed “declared not carried by the Moderator · 176 yeas and 314 nays”
- Art. 16 Allow a wireless telecommunications easement or lease at Sandwich Middle High School Passed “carried by the Moderator · 430 yeas and 60 nays”
- Art. 17 Approve a FY2027-2029 payment in lieu of taxes agreement with Canal Generating LLC Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 462 yeas and 32 nays”
- Art. 18 Petition: allow firearms in town administrative buildings and property (opt out of state "prohibited areas") Indefinitely postponed “declared carried by the Moderator · 253 yeas and 236 nays”
Source: Town Clerk's record, 2026 Town Meeting Results (Town of Sandwich).
Special Town Meeting · November 17, 2025 11 votes: 10 passed, 1 failed
- Art. 1 Add $324,300 to the FY2026 School Department budget for building repairs and maintenance Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 128 yeas and 32 nays”
- Art. 2 Zoning: amend Section 3490, compliance with state and federal rules Passed “declared carried by the Moderator by the required two-thirds majority · 155 yeas and 12 nays”
- Art. 3 Zoning: amend Section 3510, landscaping and screening Passed “declared carried by the Moderator by the required two-thirds majority · 137 yeas and 27 nays”
- Art. 4 Zoning: accessory dwelling units (Section 4130) and definitions Failed “declared not carried by the Moderator by the required two-thirds majority · 100 yeas and 76 nays”
- Art. 5 Zoning: delete Section 4450, affordable housing conditional density development Passed “declared carried by the Moderator by the required two-thirds majority · 134 yeas and 36 nays”
- Art. 6 Amend the Scenic Roads bylaw (Section 5.15) Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 160 yeas and 23 nays”
- Art. 7 Amend the Signs bylaw (Section 6.60) Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 137 yeas and 29 nays”
- Art. 8 New short-term rental bylaw (Chapter 12) Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 128 yeas and 28 nays”
- Art. 9 Accept M.G.L. c.90, §18B: let the Select Board set safety zones Passed “carried by the Moderator · 129 yeas and 28 nays”
- Art. 10 Accept M.G.L. c.90, §17C: let the Select Board set thickly settled areas Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 126 yeas and 21 nays”
- Art. 11 Authorize the Select Board to acquire easements for public way purposes Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 121 yeas and 12 nays”
Source: Town Clerk's record, 2025 Town Meeting Results (Town of Sandwich).
Annual Town Meeting · May 5, 2025 21 votes: 18 passed, 1 failed, 2 indefinitely postponed
- Art. 1 Accept town officer and committee reports and hear the FY2026 Long Range Plan Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 292 yeas and 11 nays”
- Art. 2 Fiscal Year 2026 operating budget ($93,295,403 raised plus transfers) and elected officials' pay Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 281 yeas and 93 nays”
- Art. 3 FY2026 enterprise fund budgets Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 283 yeas and 37 nays”
- Art. 4 Set FY2026 spending limits for revolving funds Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 292 yeas and 38 nays”
- Art. 5 Capital plan: $1,143,709 from free cash plus $413,500 from golf and marina funds Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 267 yeas and 59 nays”
- Art. 6 Accept Chapter 90 state highway aid Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 320 yeas and 17 nays”
- Art. 7 Transfer $34,618 in cell antenna lease receipts for the high school Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 304 yeas and 39 nays”
- Art. 8 Transfer $80,196 from beach renourishment receipts Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 360 yeas and 33 nays”
- Art. 9 Transfer $150,615 for the FY2026 Sandwich Promotions Fund Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 317 yeas and 57 nays”
- Art. 10 Transfer $750,000 from the Water Infrastructure Investment Fund Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 307 yeas and 65 nays”
- Art. 11 Community Preservation Committee FY2026 budget Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 296 yeas and 63 nays”
- Art. 12 CPC: $1,200,000 to restore and repair Sandwich Town Hall Passed “carried by the Moderator · 289 yeas and 110 nays”
- Art. 13 Accept Clause 22I: annual cost-of-living increase in disabled veterans' tax exemption Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 356 yeas and 19 nays”
- Art. 14 Accept Clause 22J: increase certain personal property tax exemptions Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 341 yeas and 14 nays”
- Art. 15 Accept M.G.L. c.200A, §9A to let the town keep abandoned funds Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 319 yeas and 16 nays”
- Art. 16 Accept M.G.L. c.53, §9A on when nomination papers must be obtained Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 239 yeas and 129 nays”
- Art. 17 Zoning: accessory dwelling units (Section 4130) and definitions Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 318 yeas and 57 nays”
- Art. 18 Zoning: amend Section 2550, non-conforming lots Passed “declared carried by the required two-thirds majority by the Moderator · 324 yeas and 50 nays”
- Art. 19 New short-term rental bylaw (Chapter 12) Indefinitely postponed “declared carried by the Moderator · 257 yeas and 99 nays”
- Art. 20 Petition: ban sales of alcohol "nips" (100 ml or less) Failed “declared not carried by the Moderator · 124 yeas and 194 nays”
- Art. 21 Petition: "Skip the Stuff" bylaw (take-out extras only on request) Indefinitely postponed “declared carried by the Moderator · 163 yeas and 101 nays”
Source: Town Clerk's record, 2025 Town Meeting Results (Town of Sandwich).
Special Town Meeting · January 13, 2025 8 votes: 8 passed
- Art. 1 Add $164,798 to the FY2025 School Department budget for building repairs and maintenance Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 102 yeas and 76 nays”
- Art. 2 Rescind 2020 authority to borrow up to $2,650,000 for the Henry T. Wing School senior housing grant Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 166 yeas and 21 nays”
- Art. 3 Transfer $65,821.90 for the FY2025 Sandwich Promotions Fund Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 141 yeas and 44 nays”
- Art. 4 CPC: $187,772 for repairs at Cedarville Cemetery and the Old Town Burying Ground Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 162 yeas and 25 nays”
- Art. 5 Add a short-term rental inspections revolving fund ($50,000 FY2025 limit) Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 112 yeas and 78 nays”
- Art. 6 Raise the Water Infrastructure Investment Fund surcharge from 2% to 3% of property taxes Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 112 yeas and 82 nays”
- Art. 7 Transfer $1,874,000 from the Water Infrastructure Investment Fund Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 142 yeas and 36 nays”
- Art. 8 Accept state laws on collecting sewer betterment assessments (M.G.L. c.83, §15C and §15D) Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 153 yeas and 31 nays”
Source: Town Clerk's record, 2025 Town Meeting Results (Town of Sandwich).
Annual Town Meeting · May 6, 2024 22 votes: 20 passed, 1 failed, 1 other
- Art. 1 Accept town officer and committee reports and hear the 2024 Long Range Plan Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 286 yeas and 5 nays”
- Art. 2 Fiscal Year 2025 operating budget ($89,850,946 raised plus transfers) and elected officials' pay Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 230 yeas and 61 nays”
- Art. 3 FY2025 enterprise fund budgets (cable access, sanitation, golf course, marina) Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 265 yeas and 30 nays”
- Art. 4 Set FY2025 spending limits for revolving funds Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 277 yeas and 21 nays”
- Art. 5 Capital plan: $1,986,970 from free cash plus $1,568,000 from other sources Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 263 yeas and 29 nays”
- Art. 6 Transfer $3,000,000 from the Water Infrastructure Investment Fund for the water resources plan Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 271 yeas and 27 nays”
- Art. 7 Transfer $414,699 for road and public infrastructure repairs Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 285 yeas and 13 nays”
- Art. 8 Move $142,498.92 from the FY2024 Nursing Department budget to the Select Board/Town Manager budget Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 277 yeas and 22 nays”
- Art. 9 Accept Chapter 90 state highway aid Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 276 yeas and 12 nays”
- Art. 10 Transfer $36,665.16 in cell antenna lease receipts for the high school Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 276 yeas and 17 nays”
- Art. 11 Transfer $79,727.83 from beach renourishment receipts Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 268 yeas and 27 nays”
- Art. 12 Transfer $40,026.10 for the FY2025 Sandwich Promotions Fund Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 266 yeas and 26 nays”
- Art. 13 Community Preservation Committee FY2025 budget Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 219 yeas and 70 nays”
- Art. 14 CPC: $70,000 for the Sandwich Historical Society roof at the Sandwich Glass Museum Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 248 yeas and 44 nays”
- Art. 15 Raise the local room occupancy (hotel) tax to 6% Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 155 yeas and 140 nays”
- Art. 16 Ask the Legislature to amend the Town Charter Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 239 yeas and 51 nays”
- Art. 17 Adopt the March 2024 Local Comprehensive Plan Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 239 yeas and 26 nays”
- Art. 18 Zoning: amend Section 2540.c, affordable housing Failed “declared not carried by the required two-thirds majority the Moderator · 173 yeas and 87 nays”
- Art. 19 Zoning: add semi-permanent makeup to the use table and definitions Passed “declared carried by the required two-thirds majority the Moderator · 184 yeas and 63 nays”
- Art. 20 Zoning: amend the livestock or fowl definition Passed “declared carried by the required two-thirds majority the Moderator · 219 yeas and 34 nays”
- Art. 21 Amend the animal control bylaw on enforcement and penalties Passed “declared carried by the Moderator · 233 yeas and 27 nays”
- Art. 22 Petition: ban sales of alcohol "nips" (50 ml, then 100 ml or less) Other “declared carried by the Moderator · 116 yeas and 155 nays”
Source: Town Clerk's record, 2024 Town Meeting Results (Town of Sandwich).
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
ChairCharles HoldenChair · Elected townwide · at 28 of 28 meetingsVice-ChairRobert GeorgeVice Chair · Elected townwide · at 24 of 28 meetings
Patrick EllisMember · Elected townwide · at 25 of 28 meetings
Shane HoctorMember · Elected townwide · at 24 of 28 meetingsMichael MillerMember · Elected townwide · at 10 of 28 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 (the minutes call it both the Board of Selectmen and the Select Board) from January 18, 2018 through September 10, 2026, from the town’s online Agenda Center, which holds minutes back to January 2016 (MassVoter has loaded 2018 on). Not here: minutes the town has not posted, including the regular meetings of October 3 and November 21, 2019, June 9 and December 17, 2020, November 20, 2024, January 12, April 22 and June 17, 2026; the open sessions of March 1, 2018, November 7, 2019, March 5, 2020, May 23 and June 6, 2024 and May 1, 2025 (only the released executive-session minutes are posted for those dates, and we show them); one set of minutes for which the town posted the wrong file (November 14, 2022, which holds Finance Committee minutes); and every meeting after September 10, 2026. 185 of the 249 sets of minutes are scanned copies (nearly all from 2018 to 2023), which MassVoter read with text-recognition software and checked against the page images where the scan was unclear. Sandwich’s minutes name the mover and seconder and usually record the result in a word or two: “Unanimous,” “Approved unanimously,” sometimes with a count such as “(4-0)”. Split votes are written in several ways, such as “Mrs. James abstained. Motion passes 3 ayes to 1 abstention,” “Approved with Mr. Ellis voting against,” or “Approved with one abstention (3-0-1)”. In 2018 the Chair often did not vote, so many counts are one short of the members present. When the minutes say the vote was unanimous, or the count matches the members present, we show every member present as voting yes; when the minutes name the members who voted no or abstained, we show everyone else present as voting yes. Where the minutes give a split count without names (for example “Approved with one abstention (3-0-1)”), or the count does not match the members present, we show the count only and add a note. Where they say only “Approved,” or record a motion with no vote, we show the result only. Members who stepped aside (recused) are left out of that vote. Votes taken by other boards at joint meetings (such as the Finance Committee or School 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.
Jan 30Approve the expenditure of $1,042,000 plus the grant for…Motion: To approve the expenditure of $1,042,000 plus the grant for $200,000.Passed · see note
January 30, 2025: Approve the expenditure of $1,042,000 plus the grant for $200,000
To approve the expenditure of $1,042,000 plus the grant for $200,000.
The minutes record this motion but no vote on it.
From the minutes
“Mr. George moved to approve the expenditure of $1,042,000 plus the grant for $200,000. Seconded by Mr. Hoctor..” (Motion: George, second: Hoctor)
Dec 19Appoint Michael Sullivan as an alternate member of the…Motion: To appoint Michael Sullivan as an alternate member of the Historic…Failed 1–2 · see note
December 19, 2024: Appoint Michael Sullivan as an alternate member of the Historic District Committee
To appoint Michael Sullivan as an alternate member of the Historic District Committee.
The minutes give only the count (1-2), not how each member voted.
From the minutes
“Mr. George moved to appoint Michael Sullivan as an alternate member of the Historic District Committee. Seconded by Mr. Ellis. Motion fails to carry (1-2)..” (Motion: George, second: Ellis)
Nov 7Accept the District 5 Intermunicipal AgreementMotion: To accept the District 5 Intermunicipal Agreement.Passed 4–0 · see note
November 7, 2024: Accept the District 5 Intermunicipal Agreement
To accept the District 5 Intermunicipal Agreement.
The minutes say "Approved unanimously (4-0).", but 5 members were present for this vote (Charles Holden, Robert George, Shane Hoctor, Michael Miller and Patrick Ellis). Showing the count only.
From the minutes
“Mr. George moved to accept the District 5 Intermunicipal Agreement. Seconded by Mr. Miller. Approved unanimously (4-0)..” (Motion: George, second: Miller)
Oct 24Increase the Commission on Disability from 9 to 11…Motion: To increase the Commission on Disability from 9 to 11 members…Passed Unanimous, 4 present · see note
October 24, 2024: Increase the Commission on Disability from 9 to 11 members and appoint Joann Lebherz to the Commission
To increase the Commission on Disability from 9 to 11 members and appoint Joann Lebherz to the Commission.
The minutes name Robert George as both the mover and the seconder, so no seconder is shown.
From the minutes
“Mr. George moved to increase the Commission on Disability from 9 to 11 members and appoint Joann Lebherz to the Commission. Seconded by Mr. George. Approved unanimously (4-0)..” (Motion: George)
Jun 6It was moved, secondedMotion: It was moved, secondedPassed · see note
June 6, 2024 (Special meeting): It was moved, seconded
It was moved, seconded
The minutes say the board voted but do not give a count or say how each member voted. The minutes do not say who made or seconded this motion.
From the minutes
“It was moved, seconded and approved by roll call vote to adjourn the meeting..”
May 23It was moved and secondedMotion: It was moved and secondedPassed · see note
May 23, 2024 (Special meeting): It was moved and seconded
It was moved and seconded
The minutes say the board voted but do not give a count or say how each member voted. The minutes do not say who made or seconded this motion.
From the minutes
“It was moved and seconded and approved by roll call vote to adjourn the meeting..”
May 16Approve the Rotary International Peace Pole project Installed as…Motion: To approve the Rotary International Peace Pole project Installed as presented…Passed 4–0 · Abstained: Miller
May 16, 2024: Approve the Rotary International Peace Pole project Installed as presented on the plan at the Center for Active Living
To approve the Rotary International Peace Pole project Installed as presented on the plan at the Center for Active Living.
Yes: Ellis, George, Hoctor, HoldenAbstained: Miller
From the minutes
“Mr. George moved to approve the Rotary International Peace Pole project Installed as presented on the plan at the Center for Active Living. Seconded by Mr. Hoctor. Approved 4,0,1 abstention (Mr. MIiier)..” (Motion: George, second: Hoctor)
From the Sandwich 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 Sandwich Enterprise (capenews.net).
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