Town of Chatham, MA Chapter 10 Boards, Committees and Commissions

[HISTORY: Adopted May 1997 ATM by Art. 11 as Ch. 7 of the 1997 Bylaws. Amendments noted where applicable.]

§ 10-1 General provisions.

A. Boards, committees and commissions shall be appointed in accordance with Sections 3-2, 3-4, 5-1, 5-2, 5-3 and 6-3 of the Charter.

B. Members of the Finance Committee, School Committee, Select Board, Board of Assessors and all boards, committees and commissions with regulatory powers shall be residents and registered voters of the Town. The Select Board may appoint nonresident property-owning taxpayers to the Council on Aging, Cultural Council and all Town advisory committees. For purposes of these bylaws, the Select Board shall assume and retain the status of the formerly designated Select Board and shall assume all powers and duties vested in a board of selectmen by general or special law, home rule charter, these bylaws or other applicable authority.

[Amended 5-11-2009 ATM by Art. 22; 5-10-2010 ATM by Art. 18; 6-12-2021 ATM by Art. 55]

C. Unless otherwise specified, members of boards, committees and commissions shall serve without pay for their services, but may be reimbursed for actual, approved expenses incurred in the discharge of their duties.

§ 10-2 Standing committees.

[Amended 5-11-2009 ATM by Art. 22; 6-12-2021 ATM by Art. 55]

A. The following standing committees shall be appointed by the Select Board, in accordance with the Charter and any regulations adopted by them:

(1) Airport Commission.

(2) Board of Assessors.

(3) Board of Health.

(4) Cemetery Commission.

(5) Conservation Commission.

(6) Council on Aging.

(7) Historic Business District Commission.

(8) Historical Commission.

(9) Park and Recreation Commission.

(10) Personnel Advisory Committee.

(11) Planning Board.

(12) Shellfish Advisory Committee.

(13) Water and Sewer Advisory Committee.

(14) Waterways Committee.

(15) Zoning Board of Appeals.

(16) Sign Code Appeals Committee.

(17) Public Ceremonies Committee.

B. The Select Board may appoint any other committees deemed necessary for the improvement of the Town.

C. The number of members and terms of service shall be established by the Select Board.

§ 10-3 Finance Committee.

A. The following committee shall be appointed by the Moderator, as set forth in Section 3-4(b) of the Charter: Finance Committee consisting of the number of members prescribed by the Charter, who shall be residents and registered voters of the Town, each to be appointed for a term of three years. Members of the Committee shall hold no other Town office. Members shall serve without pay for their services, but may be reimbursed for actual, approved expenses incurred in the discharge of their duties.

B. In addition to the duties set forth in Section 6-3 of the Charter, it shall be the duty of the Finance Committee to report to the voters at the Annual Town Meeting or at a Special Town Meeting its advisory recommendations on all articles in the warrant for such Town Meetings. (Note: The Planning Board is required to hold a public hearing, report, and make recommendations to a Town Meeting on Zoning Bylaw articles under MGL c. 40A.)

C. The Committee shall have authority at any time to investigate the books, accounts and management of any department of the Town, and the books and accounts of the Town shall be open to the inspection of the Committee or any person authorized to act for the Committee.

§ 10-4 Community Preservation Committee.

[Added 5-13-2002 ATM by Art. 17]

A. With the acceptance of the Community Preservation Act, Sections 3 to 7, inclusive,[1] there shall be a Community Preservation Committee consisting of nine citizens of the Town. The Community Preservation Committee shall include the following: one member of the Conservation Commission, one member of the Planning Board, one member of the Historical Commission, one member of the Chatham Housing Authority, one member of the Park and Recreation Commission, one member of the Chatham Open Space Committee, and one member of the Chatham Community Housing Partnership. These boards, commissions, committees, and the Housing Authority shall recommend members to the Select Board for appointment to the Committee. The remaining two members shall be at large citizens appointed by the Select Board. These appointments shall be for a term of three years, staggered such that the members of the Chatham Housing Authority, Park and Recreation Commission, and one at large member shall serve an initial one-year appointment. The Planning Board, Historical Commission and one at large member shall serve an initial two-year appointment. All remaining members shall have initial three-year appointments. All subsequent appointments shall be for three years. Should any of the commissions, boards, partnership, authority or committees which are represented under this section of the bylaw be no longer in existence for whatever reason, the Select Board shall appoint a person of its choosing.

[Amended 5-13-2019 ATM by Art. 52; 6-12-2021 ATM by Art. 55; 5-13-2024 ATM by Art. 45]

[1] Editor's Note: See MGL c. 44B.

B. The Community Preservation Committee shall study the needs, possibilities, and resources of the Town regarding community preservation. The Committee shall consult with existing municipal boards, including the Conservation Commission, the Historical Commission, the Planning Board, the Park and Recreation Commission and the Housing Authority, or persons acting in those capacities or performing those duties, in conducting such studies. As part of its study, the Committee shall hold at least one public hearing on the needs, possibilities and resources of the Town regarding community preservation possibilities and resources. Notice of such public hearings shall be posted publicly and published for each of two weeks preceding a hearing in a newspaper of general circulation in the Town. Such notice shall be sent to the following: Select Board, Planning Board, Conservation Commission, Housing Authority, Historical Commission, and Park and Recreation Commission.

[Amended 6-12-2021 ATM by Art. 55]

C. The Community Preservation Committee shall make recommendations to Town Meeting, as the Town's legislative body, for the acquisition, creation and preservation of open space, for the acquisition and preservation of historic resources, for the acquisition, creation and preservation of land for recreational use, for the creation, preservation and support of community housing and for rehabilitation or restoration of such open space, historic resources, land for recreational use and community housing that is acquired or created as provided in this section. With respect to community housing, the Committee shall recommend, wherever possible, the reuse of existing buildings or construction of new buildings on previously developed sites.

D. The Community Preservation Committee may include in its recommendations to Town Meeting a recommendation to set aside for later spending funds for specific purposes that are consistent with community preservation but for which sufficient revenues are not then available in the Community Preservation Fund to accomplish that specific purpose or to set aside for later spending funds for general purposes that are consistent with community preservation.

E. The Community Preservation Committee shall not meet or conduct business without the presence of a quorum. A majority of the members of the Committee shall constitute a quorum. The Committee shall approve its actions by majority vote. Recommendations to Town Meeting shall include their anticipated costs.

F. Town Meeting, as the Town's legislative body, shall then take such action on the recommendations and expenditures from the Community Preservation Fund as set forth in accordance with MGL c. 44B, § 6.

§ 10-5 Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

[Added 5-8-2006 ATM by Art. 16]

A. The Affordable Housing Trust shall be managed by a seven-member Board of Trustees appointed by the Select Board.

[Amended 6-12-2021 ATM by Art. 55; 5-6-2023 ATM by Art. 40]

(1) In appointing members of the Board of Trustees, the Select Board shall:

(a) Designate two of its members to serve on the Board of Trustees;

(b) Appoint one member of the Chatham Community Housing Partnership to serve on the Board of Trustees; and

(c) Appoint the remaining four members of the Board of Trustees from the community at large, considering a broad range of expertise, including education and experience in real estate development and financing.

(2) Members of the Board of Trustees shall be sworn to the faithful performance of their official duties. A majority of the seven members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of any business. The Board of Trustees shall elect from among its members a Chairman, Vice Chairman, clerk, and such other officers as it shall deem necessary, and shall determine their respective duties.

(3) The original members of the Board of Trustees shall be appointed within 60 days following the effective date of this bylaw amendment. The term of each appointment shall be established by the Select Board, provided that no term shall exceed two years. In the event of a vacancy on the Board of Trustees, a successor member shall be appointed to complete the unexpired term.

(4) Any member of the Board of Trustees may be removed by the Select Board for cause after reasonable notice and a public hearing convened by the Select Board unless such notice and hearing are expressly waived in writing by the member subject to removal.

(5) The members of the Board of Trustees shall not receive compensation for the performance of their duties, but each member shall be reimbursed by the Trust for expenses incurred in the performance of the member's duties.