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Select Board endorses final warrant, swaps two article numbers and votes to start town meeting at 6 p.m.
Summary
After reviewing 47 town-meeting articles and assigning presenters, the board voted to switch Articles 31 and 45, endorsed the final annual warrant, and approved starting the May 5 annual town meeting at 6:00 p.m.; signing logistics were confirmed.
The Dennis Select Board reviewed a draft warrant of 47 annual town-meeting articles on March 31, assigned presenters for article blocks and approved a small renumbering swap so transfer articles remain near the end of the warrant.
Chair (speaker 1) read the warrant items and dollar amounts for several articles and the board discussed keeping Article 31 (transfer to the general-purpose stabilization fund) late in the sequence so members can allocate free cash available during town meeting. After discussion, the board agreed to switch Articles 31 and 45 and to assign article presentations to board members for the April 7 meeting.
A motion to set the annual town meeting start time to 6:00 p.m. on May 5, 2026 was made, seconded and approved by the board. A member said starting earlier would help handle the large number of articles; the board moved to make it official and recorded the vote.
The board then moved, seconded and voted unanimously to endorse the final annual town meeting warrant (with the agreed swap) and to endorse the final election warrant. Members confirmed they will sign printed warrants and the town administrator will finalize posting and distribution.
Why it matters: the warrant is the legal list of articles voters will consider at town meeting; the board’s endorsement sets the final agenda and scheduling for the town’s primary legislative session. Moving the start time and clarifying article presenters and outreach aims to improve public participation and streamline discussion at the May meeting.
The board will present article-level summaries and “cliff notes” at the April 7 meeting and will post the backup materials on the town’s website ahead of town meeting.
