[Adopted as Art. 2.40 of the 2013 Bylaws]
[Amended 6-9-2014 ATM
by Art. 20; 6-8-2015 ATM by Art.
35]
Committees may have members who are appointed in accordance
with these bylaws; and may have ex-officio members, who shall serve
without voting authority unless these bylaws provide for such voting
authority.
A. Membership. No person whose principal residence is not within the
Town of Wrentham and who is not a registered voter of the Town of
Wrentham may be appointed by the Select Board or the Moderator to
serve on any Town committee. Any member of a committee or of an elected
board who removes from the Town shall be deemed to have vacated his/her
office. The provisions of this section shall not apply to any ex-officio
positions or those specifically provided for by Town bylaw. Any person
appointed to any committee must be duly sworn in by the Wrentham Town
Clerk or any other state-authorized authority within 60 days of the
date of the appointment or the appointing authority may consider that
the person has declined the appointment and may appoint someone else.
[Amended 11-21-2022 STM by Art. 2]
B. Appointment and resignation; compensation.
(1) It shall be the duty of the Town Clerk to notify in writing all members
of elected boards and committees, upon their appointment, stating
the name of the elected board or committee and business for which
it was appointed.
(2) Except as otherwise prescribed by statute or by a bylaw, all personnel
serving on all standing committees shall be appointed for three-year
terms on a staggered basis and arranged so that approximately 1/3
of the members will expire each year. All personnel serving on all
ad-hoc committees shall be appointed for one-year terms; however,
whenever an ad-hoc committee is created at a Special Town Meeting,
the term of the initial appointments shall conclude on June 30 of
the following fiscal year. Nothing in this bylaw shall be construed
as preventing the reappointment by the proper appointing authority
of any individual to any standing committee or to any other committee
the life of which has been extended for another year by the vote of
the Annual Town Meeting.
(3) All appointed terms shall begin on July 1; however, when an ad-hoc
committee is created at a Special Town Meeting, the initial appointments
shall be made promptly.
(4) Any member of a committee may resign at any time by giving written
notice to the Town Clerk pursuant to MGL c. 41, § 109, and
to the chair of the respective committee. The Town Clerk shall notify
the appointing authority within seven days.
(5) Whenever a vacancy occurs in the membership of a committee, by reason
of death, resignation, removal from the Town, inability to act, or
for any other reason, the vacancy shall be promptly filled by appointment
for the unexpired portion of the term.
(6) All members of all committees shall serve without pay.
C. Organization.
(1) Each committee shall organize during its first meeting and thereafter
reorganize annually during the first meeting following July 1 of each
fiscal year.
(2) Each committee shall elect its own chairperson, vice-chairperson,
and clerk. Each officer shall hold office until the next annual reorganization.
In the event a vacancy occurs in any of the offices above, the committee
shall, at the first meeting after the vacancy occurs, elect one of
its members to fill such vacancy.
(3) The first meeting of any committee will be called by the previous
term's chairperson, or if that person is not reappointed, by the previous
term's vice-chairperson, or if that person is not reappointed the
appointing authority shall designate a member to call a meeting.
(4) The appointing authority shall designate a member of a newly created
committee to call the initial meeting.
(5) Meetings of a committee may be called by either the chair or any
three voting members.
[Added 6-9-2014 ATM by
Art. 20]
A. It shall be the duty of all committees, and all elected boards, to
make a report at the next Annual Meeting unless otherwise directed,
upon matters referred to them. Every committee and every elected board
shall also submit an annual report of its activities to the Select
Board for inclusion in the Annual Town Report, and send copies to
any relevant state agencies.
[Amended 11-21-2022 STM by Art. 2]
B. When requested, the Select Board shall provide a suitable place in
which meetings may be held.
[Amended 11-21-2022 STM by Art. 2]
C. Committees may expend necessary funds, subject to lawful appropriation
and approval.
D. Committees and elected boards may expend such funds received as monetary
grants and gifts subject to prior approval of the Select Board. Committees
and elected boards may accept gifts of tangible property subject to
prior approval of the Select Board.
[Amended 11-21-2022 STM by Art. 2]
E. Committees may, in fulfilling their role and responsibilities, employ
staff or change the employment status of any person(s) employed by
the committee, subject to the prior approval of the Select Board or
other appointing authority.
[Amended 11-21-2022 STM by Art. 2]
F. Committees and elected boards, in compliance with the requirement
of MGL c. 30A, § 22, shall prepare and act on minutes of
each meeting at the next following meeting. However, a draft of the
minutes of a meeting shall be available within 14 days of the date
of such meeting. Each committee and elected board shall submit copies
of all minutes, except minutes of executive sessions, to the Town
Clerk upon their approval. Minutes of executive sessions shall be
submitted to the Town Clerk upon the determination by the committee
or elected board, or its chair or designee that publication of the
minutes would not defeat the purpose of the executive session.
[Adopted as Art. 2.60 of the 2013 Bylaws; amended in its
entirety 6-9-2014 ATM by Art.
20]
Unless provided otherwise in these bylaws, a majority of the
authorized voting members of a committee, or of an elected board,
shall constitute a quorum. When a quorum is present at a duly called
meeting, the affirmative vote of a majority of the voting members
present and voting shall decide any question, unless otherwise provided
by law or these bylaws. A written summary of all actions taken at
each committee meeting shall be prepared.
MGL c. 39, § 23D shall apply to all public hearings
conducted by any committee or of any elected board of the Town. (See
Appendix C.)
All public meetings shall conclude no later than 11:00 p.m.
A committee, or an elected board, may, by the affirmative vote of
2/3 of its members who are present, extend a meeting to 11:30 p.m.
if the prompt and orderly conduct of public business so requires.
Under no circumstances shall any meeting extend beyond 11:30 p.m.
This section shall not apply to emergency meetings as defined in the
commonwealth's Open Meeting Law or to meetings in executive session, provided that the
public vote to go into executive session is properly taken prior to
the relevant deadline.