MassVoter.com← YarmouthMunicipal votes · 2026–2027 Board
Yarmouth Select Board
How the Yarmouth Select Board voted, from the Select Board’s official minutes. 5 Select Board members elected townwide. Same five members: Mark Forest was the only Select Board candidate at the May 19, 2026 town election. The board reorganized on June 9, 2026 (the item is listed on the town's meeting video), but those minutes are not online yet; the June 24, 2026 minutes show Tracy Post as Chair. The other officer posts are not known yet. Only one set of minutes from this board is online so far. The end date is a placeholder. Covers 1 meetings so far, June 24 to June 24, 2026.
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 Yarmouth ballot: 13 quizzes, about a minute each.
Start my ballot →Vote Transparency Score
Yarmouth Select Board: 4.5 out of 10 · Hard to see
How easy Yarmouth makes it to see, online, how each member votes. It scores the town’s records, not any official. Checked October 4, 2026.
- Minutes postedMinutes are posted for less than half of meetings.Part points: 1/2
- Each vote namedThe minutes name members who vote no.Part points: 2/3
- Posted quicklyMeetings more than three months old still have no minutes.No points: 0/2
- Past years onlineSelect Board minutes going back to 2005 are online.Full points: 1/1
- Readable textThe minutes are scanned images, so they can’t be searched or copied.No points: 0/1
- Member photosThe town’s website shows photos of some members.Part points: 0.5/1
How the town can raise its score
- Minutes posted (+1): Post approved minutes for every meeting on the town website. Don’t require a sign-in to view them.
- Each vote named (+1): On any vote that isn’t unanimous, write how each member voted. For example: “Motion passed 3–2. Yes: Smith, Jones, Lee. No: Brown, Silva.” A roll call on split votes is the simplest way to do this.
- Posted quickly (+2): Post minutes within 30 days. If approval takes longer, post a draft marked “Draft – not yet approved” and replace it later.
- Readable text (+1): Save minutes straight from Word or Google Docs as a PDF instead of printing and scanning them. If a scan is needed, turn on the scanner’s “searchable PDF” or text-recognition setting.
- Member photos (+0.5): Show a photo of each member on the board’s web page, with their name, the date their term ends and how to contact them. A group photo of the members, with everyone named in the caption or on the same page, earns half a point.
How we score · Something wrong, or has the town made a change? Email info@massvoter.com and we’ll re-check.
A monthly email on its votes, starting in November. We'll also tell you if this score changes.
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 Yarmouth, 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 · November 17, 2025 15 votes: 12 passed, 2 passed as amended, 1 failed
- Art. 1 Transfer $500,000 from free cash to the OPEB trust Passed “Moderator declared the motion carries”
- Art. 2 Transfer $100,000 from the PFAS settlement account to study PFAS groundwater contamination Passed “Moderator declared the motion carries”
- Art. 3 Transfer $300,000 from the PFAS litigation fund to design PFAS treatment at Wells 10 and 11 Passed “Moderator declared the motion carries”
- Art. 4 Transfer $75,000 from free cash for an airport impacts consultant Passed “Moderator declared the motion carries”
- Art. 5 Transfer $130,000 from free cash for a study of the former MacArthur Elementary School building Failed “Moderator declared the motion fails”
- Art. 6 Adopt the October 2025 Local Comprehensive Plan Passed “Moderator declared the Main Motion carries”
- Art. 7 Repeal the plastic reduction bylaw (Chapter 135) Passed “Moderator declared the Article carries”
- Art. 8 Update the bylaw reference to the latest edition of Town Meeting Time Passed “Moderator declared the Motion carries”
- Art. 9 Appropriate $300,000 from golf retained earnings for golf capital expenses Passed “Moderator declared the Motion carries”
- Art. 10 Transfer $550,000 from the ambulance fund for Fire Department capital expenses Passed “Moderator declared the Motion carries”
- Art. 11 Buy 3.14 acres off Nottingham Drive for open space with CPA funds Passed “Moderator declared the motion carries”
- Art. 12 Revise the dog and animal bylaw (Chapter 79), with floor amendments Passed as amended “Moderator declared the Article Passes”
- Art. 13 Transfer $1,500,000 from free cash for a Marguerite E. Small Elementary School feasibility study Passed “Moderator declared the Article carries”
- Art. 14 Zoning: allow live lobster sales (use table, Section 202.5) Passed “Moderator declared the Article carries by a 2/3rds vote”
- Art. 15 Zoning: boat and recreational equipment parking (Section 401.1), as amended Passed as amended “Moderator declared motion carried by a two-thirds (2/3rds) vote.”
Source: Town Clerk's minutes in the 2025 Annual Town Report.
Annual Town Meeting · April 29, 2025 34 votes: 33 passed, 1 passed as amended
- Art. 1 FY2025 budget adjustment: $70,000 from free cash for snow and ice Passed “Moderator declared the motion passes by a significant majority”
- Art. 2 FY2026 municipal operating budget ($51,530,178), amended to use $2 million of ambulance receipts for fire wages Passed as amended “Moderator declared the motion carries”
- Art. 3 Raise $845,476 to hire four firefighters and a supervisor, subject to a Proposition 2½ override Passed “Moderator declared the motion carries by a majority”
- Art. 4 FY2026 Golf Enterprise budget ($5,541,000) Passed “Moderator declared the motion carries by a majority”
- Art. 5 FY2026 Water Division budget ($5,785,444) Passed “Moderator declared the motion carries”
- Art. 6 FY2026 Septage Enterprise budget ($3,198,679) Passed “Moderator declared the motion carries”
- Art. 7 FY2026 Wastewater Enterprise budget ($804,365) Passed “Moderator declared the motion carries”
- Art. 8 FY2026 Cable Television budget ($641,418) Passed “Moderator declared the motion carries”
- Art. 9 Raise $44,865,765 for the Dennis-Yarmouth Regional School District FY2026 budget Passed “Moderator declared the Article passes by a majority”
- Art. 10 Cape Cod Regional Technical High School FY2026 assessment ($3,832,480) Passed “Moderator declared the motion carries”
- Art. 11 Golf capital expenses from golf retained earnings ($245,000) Passed “Moderator declared the motion carries”
- Art. 12 Borrow $4,400,000 to rehabilitate the septage facility equalization tank Passed “Moderator declared the motion carries by a 2/3rds majority”
- Art. 13 Water Division capital expenses ($1,312,200) Passed “Moderator declared the motion carries by a majority”
- Art. 14 Borrow $5,050,000 to design and build PFAS treatment at Wells 10 and 11 Passed “Moderator declared the motion passes by a 2/3rds majority”
- Art. 15 Borrow $2,000,000 to replace about one mile of water main on Route 28 Passed “Moderator declared the motion passes by a 2/3rds majority”
- Art. 16 Four-year lease for four police cruisers; $58,850 for year one Passed “Moderator declared the article passes by a 2/3rds majority”
- Art. 17 Fire Department capital expenses from ambulance receipts ($347,000) Passed “Moderator declared the motion carries”
- Art. 18 Borrow $2,000,000 for a quint fire apparatus Passed “Moderator declared the motion passes by a 2/3rds majority”
- Art. 19 Capital expenses for various departments: raise $1,100,000 and $3,521,289 from free cash Passed “Moderator declared the motion passes by a 2/3rds majority”
- Art. 20 Grant Eversource an easement at 99 Buck Island Road (water resource recovery facility) Passed “Moderator declared the motion passes by a 2/3rds majority”
- Art. 21 Transfer $300,000 from free cash for FY2026 wage adjustments Passed “Moderator declared the motion was approved”
- Art. 22 Transfer $2,000,000 from free cash: $1,000,000 each to capital and wastewater stabilization funds Passed “Moderator declared the article passes”
- Art. 23 Community Preservation reserves ($215,396 each for housing, open space, historic) and administration Passed “Moderator declared the motion passes unanimously”
- Art. 24 $660,056 in CPA funds for community housing (housing trust and rental assistance) Passed “Moderator declared the motion carries”
- Art. 25 $1,082,018 in CPA funds for recreation projects, including Chase Brook Passed “Moderator declared the article carries”
- Art. 26 $872,133 in CPA funds for six historic preservation projects Passed “Moderator declared the article passes”
- Art. 27 Reserve $215,396 in CPA funds for open space Passed “Moderator declared the article passes”
- Art. 28 Transfer $33,587.23 in Land Bank legal funds to the CPA open space reserve Passed “Moderator declared the motion carries”
- Art. 29 Tourism Revenue Preservation Fund appropriations ($520,936) Passed “Moderator declared the motion carries”
- Art. 30 Transfer $100,000 from free cash for a Town Common feasibility study Passed “Moderator declared the motion carries”
- Art. 31 Allow disposal of Town land at 0 Oak Bluffs Road (0.07 acres) Passed “Moderator declared the motion carries by a two-thirds (2/3rds) majority”
- Art. 32 Transfer $200,000 from free cash to maintain the former Mattacheese Middle School Passed “Moderator declared the motion carries”
- Art. 33 Petition for special law putting certified Natural Resources officers in police retirement group Passed “Moderator declared the motion carries”
- Art. 34 Accept clause 22I (HERO Act) for annual cost-of-living increases in veterans' tax exemptions Passed “Moderator declared the article passes”
Source: Town Clerk's minutes in the 2025 Annual Town Report.
Special Town Meeting · December 9, 2024 2 votes: 2 passed
- Art. 1 Delay the plastic reduction bylaw's start date to January 1, 2026 Passed “Moderator declared the motion passes by a majority”
- Art. 2 Citizen petition: move wastewater pump station #2 away from agricultural wetlands and a farm stand Passed “Motion carries. · YEA-100; NAY 88”
Source: Town Clerk's minutes in the 2024 Annual Town Report.
Special Town Meeting · November 19, 2024 14 votes: 14 passed
- Art. 1 Transfer $1,200,000 from free cash to the OPEB trust Passed “Moderator stated the motion passed”
- Art. 2 Transfer $100,000 from free cash for police and fire sign-on bonuses Passed “Moderator stated the motion carried by a majority vote”
- Art. 3 Transfer $243,000 from free cash for the FY2025 county retirement assessment Passed “Moderator stated the motion carried unanimously”
- Art. 4 Transfer $55,000 from free cash for school resource officer coverage Passed “Moderator stated the motion carries”
- Art. 5 Transfer $40,000 from free cash to equip leased police cruisers Passed “Moderator stated the article passes”
- Art. 6 Transfer $55,000 from free cash to rent a police station generator Passed “Moderator stated the motion carries”
- Art. 7 Golf capital expenses from golf retained earnings ($390,000) Passed “Moderator stated the motion carries”
- Art. 8 $500,000 from wastewater retained earnings for discharge analysis and engineering Passed “Moderator stated the motion passes by a majority”
- Art. 9 Transfer $3,000,000 (free cash and wastewater retained earnings) to the Wastewater Stabilization Fund Passed “Moderator stated the motion carries”
- Art. 10 Transfer $110,000 from free cash for Route 6A village center design Passed “Moderator stated the motion carries by a majority vote”
- Art. 11 Transfer $160,000 from free cash for the Parkers River boardwalk park Passed “Moderator stated the motion carries by a majority vote”
- Art. 12 Transfer $50,000 from free cash to study PFAS groundwater contamination Passed “Moderator stated the motion carries”
- Art. 13 Zoning: change fees in lieu of affordable housing (Section 412), as revised in a handout Passed “Moderator declared the motion passes by a 2/3rds majority”
- Art. 14 Zoning: seasonal employee housing at motels and hotels Passed “Moderator declared the article passes by a 2/3rds majority”
Source: Town Clerk's minutes in the 2024 Annual Town Report.
Annual Town Meeting · April 30, 2024 33 votes: 32 passed, 1 passed as amended
- Art. 1 FY2024 budget adjustments: $200,000 from free cash for construction debris and snow and ice Passed “Moderator stated the motion carries”
- Art. 2 FY2025 municipal operating budget ($49,926,894) Passed “Moderator stated the motion carries”
- Art. 3 FY2025 Golf Enterprise budget ($5,159,403) Passed “Moderator stated the motion carries”
- Art. 4 FY2025 Water Division budget ($5,442,736) Passed “Moderator stated the motion carries”
- Art. 5 FY2025 Septage Enterprise budget ($3,126,041) Passed “Moderator stated the motion carries”
- Art. 6 FY2025 Wastewater Enterprise budget ($807,175) Passed “Moderator stated the motion carries”
- Art. 7 FY2025 Cable Television budget ($510,346) Passed “Moderator stated Article 7 carries”
- Art. 8 Dennis-Yarmouth Regional School District FY2025: raise $43,598,067 and transfer $158,500 Passed “Moderator stated the motion carries”
- Art. 9 Cape Cod Regional Technical High School FY2025 assessment ($3,912,494) Passed “Moderator stated the motion carries”
- Art. 10 Golf capital expenses from golf retained earnings ($310,000) Passed “Moderator stated Article 10 passes unanimously”
- Art. 11 Water Division capital expenses ($860,000) Passed “Moderator stated the motion passes”
- Art. 12 Septage Division capital expenses, including loader replacement ($1,000,000) Passed “Moderator stated the motion carries”
- Art. 13 Apply for and accept a state library construction grant Passed “Moderator declared the motion carries”
- Art. 14 $150,000 from free cash as matching funds if the library grant is approved Passed “Moderator declared the motion passes”
- Art. 15 Four-year lease for six police cruisers; $111,000 from free cash for year one Passed “Moderator stated the motion carries by a 2/3rds vote margin”
- Art. 16 Fire Department capital expenses, including an ambulance ($650,000) Passed “Moderator stated the motion carries by a 2/3rds vote margin”
- Art. 17 Capital expenses for various departments: raise $1,100,000 and $3,072,837 from free cash Passed “Moderator stated the motion carries”
- Art. 18 Transfer $275,000 from free cash for FY2025 wage adjustments Passed “Moderator stated the motion carries”
- Art. 19 Transfer $200,000 from free cash to maintain the former Mattacheese Middle School Passed “Moderator stated the motion carries”
- Art. 20 Transfer $30,000 from free cash for a compensation and classification review Passed “Moderator stated the article passes”
- Art. 21 Adopt a new Town seal, with floor amendments to the wording Passed as amended “Moderator stated the motion carries”
- Art. 22 Transfer $3,000,000 to the Wastewater Stabilization Fund Passed “Moderator stated the motion carries”
- Art. 23 Adopt MGL chapters 80 and 83 (betterments and sewers) for a municipal sewer system Passed “Moderator stated the motion carries”
- Art. 24 Adopt a new sewer bylaw (Chapter 147) Passed “Moderator stated the motion carries”
- Art. 25 Re-purpose $300,000 from a 2021 article for a new police station generator Passed “Moderator stated the motion carries by a 2/3rds majority”
- Art. 26 Transfer $50,000 from free cash to rent a police station generator Passed “Moderator stated the motion carries”
- Art. 27 Tourism Revenue Preservation Fund appropriations ($548,925) Passed “Moderator stated the motion carries”
- Art. 28 Community Preservation reserves and $94,861 for administration from FY2025 CPA revenue Passed “Moderator stated the motion carries”
- Art. 29 $200,000 in CPA funds for community housing Passed “Moderator stated the motion carries”
- Art. 30 $45,000 in CPA funds to replace the Taylor-Bray Farm cottage roof Passed “Moderator stated the motion carries”
- Art. 31 $452,500 in CPA funds for phragmites, town ways to water, and a Crowell Pond study Passed “Moderator stated the motion carries”
- Art. 32 Replace the wetlands bylaw (Chapter 143) Passed “Moderator stated the motion carries”
- Art. 33 Zoning: change short-term rental rules (Section 418) Passed “Moderator declared the motion carries by more than a 2/3rds vote”
Source: Town Clerk's minutes in the 2024 Annual Town Report.
Not here yet: the April 28, 2026 Annual Town Meeting and the June 24, 2026 Special Town Meeting (no official results posted yet; they should appear in the 2026 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
Liz ArgoMember · Elected townwide · at 1 of 1 meetings✓ Every meeting 2025
Joyce FlynnMember · Elected townwide · at 1 of 1 meetings✓ Every meeting 2025
Mark ForestMember · Elected townwide · at 1 of 1 meetings
Dorcas McGurrinMember · Elected townwide · at 1 of 1 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.
Attendance
25 full-board meetings in 2025. Ties share a rank.
1Joyce Flynn25 of 25 meetings Every meeting100%1Mark Forest25 of 25 meetings Every meeting100%3Liz Argo24 of 25 meetings96%3Dorcas McGurrin24 of 25 meetings96%3Tracy Post24 of 25 meetings96%27 full-board meetings in 2024. Ties share a rank.
1Joyce Flynn16 of 16 meetings · served from Jun Every meeting100%1Peter Smith11 of 11 meetings · served until May Every meeting100%1Liz Argo3 of 3 meetings · served from Dec100%4Mark Forest26 of 27 meetings96%5Tracy Post15 of 16 meetings · served from Jun94%5Michael Stone15 of 16 meetings · served until Aug94%7Dan Horgan10 of 11 meetings · served until May91%8Dorcas McGurrin24 of 27 meetings89%30 full-board meetings in 2023. Ties share a rank.
1Michael Stone30 of 30 meetings Every meeting100%2Dorcas McGurrin29 of 30 meetings97%3Dan Horgan28 of 30 meetings93%4Mark Forest27 of 30 meetings90%5Peter Smith26 of 30 meetings87%34 full-board meetings in 2022. Ties share a rank.
1Peter Smith33 of 34 meetings97%1Michael Stone33 of 34 meetings97%3Tracy Post13 of 14 meetings · served until May93%4Dorcas McGurrin18 of 20 meetings · served from May90%5Mark Forest30 of 34 meetings88%5Dan Horgan30 of 34 meetings88%34 full-board meetings in 2020. Ties share a rank.
1Mark Forest34 of 34 meetings Every meeting100%1Michael Stone34 of 34 meetings Every meeting100%3Tracy Post33 of 34 meetings97%4Norm Holcomb19 of 20 meetings · served until Jun95%5Dan Horgan9 of 10 meetings · served from Sep90%6Erik Tolley27 of 34 meetings79%32 full-board meetings in 2019. Ties share a rank.
1Tracy Post32 of 32 meetings Every meeting100%1Michael Stone32 of 32 meetings Every meeting100%3Mark Forest31 of 32 meetings97%4Norm Holcomb30 of 32 meetings94%5Erik Tolley25 of 32 meetings78%35 full-board meetings in 2018. Ties share a rank.
1Tracy Post35 of 35 meetings Every meeting100%1Michael Stone35 of 35 meetings Every meeting100%3Mark Forest34 of 35 meetings97%4Norm Holcomb33 of 35 meetings94%5Erik Tolley22 of 35 meetings63%From the official minutes: full-board meetings only (committee meetings are not counted). Members are counted only for meetings held while they served, and arriving late counts as attending. The minutes rarely say why a member was absent. Not shown: 2021, 2026, because too many of that year’s meetings are missing from the posted minutes.
A monthly email on its votes and who was there, starting in November.
Meetings
About missing minutes
Loaded: Select Board minutes from January 3, 2018 through June 24, 2026. Minutes for 2018 and 2019 come from the town’s Archive Center (its Selectmen Minutes go back to 2005); later minutes come from its online Agenda Center. Not here: executive-session minutes (except four dates, in 2019 and 2020, where they are the only minutes posted), and meetings whose minutes are not online, including most meetings from March 30 to October 19, 2021 (19 meetings), about 20 other agenda-only dates from 2018 to 2025 (many of them executive sessions, workshops or joint meetings), and almost all of 2026: by October 4, 2026 the town had posted minutes for only three 2026 meetings (April 28, May 20 and June 24). Two files are not the minutes of the meeting they are posted under (the August 19, 2023 file is a copy of the November 15, 2022 minutes; the June 27, 2022 file is another committee’s minutes), so those dates are left out. Since 2023 most minutes are scanned copies, which MassVoter read with text-recognition software. Yarmouth’s minutes set out each motion with the mover, the seconder and the vote, such as “Vote: 4 ayes; 1 nay (Mike Stone)” or “Yea 5 Nay 0”, and remote and hybrid meetings record roll calls by name. 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. Members the minutes say were absent for a vote, left, or had not yet joined are left out of those votes. Where the minutes give only a split count without names, the count does not match the members on the attendance line, or a roll call lists a member the minutes do not show as present, we show the count only and add a note. Votes by other boards at joint meetings 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.
None.
From the Yarmouth Select Board’s official minutes, posted in the town’s Agenda Center and its Archive Center (2018 and 2019). We check every vote against the Select Board members present and quote the exact wording. MassVoter never grades or scores officials. Photos: Town of Yarmouth (Tracy Post, Liz Argo); The Provincetown Independent, courtesy Mark Forest (Mark Forest); Cape Cod Times (Joyce Flynn); AARP (Dorcas McGurrin)
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