[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Meeting of the Town of Wrentham as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted as Art. 2.40 of the 2013 Bylaws]
A. 
Town committees may be established, and may be given responsibilities and authorities, as set forth in these bylaws, and consistent with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
B. 
The standing committees shall be:
[Amended 6-9-2014 ATM by Art. 20; 11-4-2019 STM by Art. 13]
(1) 
Finance Committee.
(2) 
Cable Advisory Committee.
(3) 
Town Common Landscape/Memorial Committee.
(4) 
Open Space Committee.
(5) 
Permanent Building Committee.
(6) 
General Bylaw Review Committee.
(7) 
Board of Registrars.
(8) 
Solid Waste Recycling Committee.
(9) 
Board of Appeals.
(10) 
Conservation Commission.
(11) 
Economic Development Commission.
(12) 
Council on Aging.
(13) 
Recreation Commission.
(14) 
Commission on Disability.
(15) 
Cultural Council.
(16) 
Historical Commission.
(17) 
Elderly and Disabled Tax Aid Committee.
(18) 
Scholarship Committee and Educational Fund Committee.
C. 
All standing committees and ad-hoc committees of the Town, except those ad-hoc committees that are established by the Select Board, shall be established through an article in a Town Meeting warrant in accordance with Chapter 1, § 1-2B. Such article shall specifically state the committee's charge, membership and terms of office, appointing authority, and funding; also, its relationship to any current bylaws, committees, or General Laws of the Commonwealth.
[Added 6-24-1985 STM by Art. 1; amended 11-12-2013 STM by Art. 13; 6-9-2014 ATM by Art. 20' 11-21-2022 STM by Art. 2]
D. 
Ad-hoc committees that are authorized by Town Meeting may be authorized for a period not to exceed one complete fiscal year, and may be reauthorized by Town Meeting for periods not to exceed one complete fiscal year.
[Added 6-9-2014 ATM by Art. 20]
E. 
Except as otherwise provided by law, all standing committees duly established by vote of an Annual Town Meeting shall continue in existence until abolished by a legal vote of some subsequent Annual Town Meeting.
[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.
A. 
The appointing authority for any committee established or appointed under these bylaws may remove an appointee to such committee for good cause before his/her term expires. Good cause may include illegal activities, lack of meeting attendance, or refusal to call meetings or conduct unbecoming of the office, as well as those reasons that are specified in Charter Section 7.5. Lack of meeting attendance shall mean missing four or more consecutive meetings, or 1/2 of all of the meetings of the committee held in one calendar year. Conduct inappropriate to the office shall relate to egregious or unprofessional behavior and/or the appointee's treatment of other Town officials and the public, and may not be related to any vote or votes cast by the appointee or his/her opinion or position on any issue.
[Amended 6-8-2015 ATM by Art. 33]
B. 
The appointing authority shall notify the appointee and the chairman of said committee first verbally and then in writing by hand or by certified mail, with a copy to the Town Clerk, of his/her removal from office. If a chairman is removed, then the appointing authority shall also notify the co-chairman, vice-chairman or the secretary of said committee. If none exist, then notification shall be given to the remaining committee members. The removal shall be valid upon the U.S. Certified Mail postmark date of the written notification.
[Amended 6-8-2015 ATM by Art. 33]
C. 
An appointee removed under Subsection B above may appeal his/her removal within five days of receipt of such notification by requesting a hearing in writing to the appointing authority, who shall notify the appointee of the hearing date, time and location within 14 days of receipt of the written appeal hearing request. The appeal hearing shall take place within 30 days of the written request. The appeal shall be held in executive session only upon request from the appointee, and a secretary shall be present to take minutes. The ruling rendered shall be final and made within 14 days of the hearing. Written notice of the ruling shall be given to the appointee, appointing authority, Town Clerk and said committee.
[Amended 6-8-1915 ATM by Art. 33; 11-4-2019 STM by Art. 14]
D. 
If the appointee requests an appeal hearing, the seat shall not be filled until the appeal judgment is rendered; however, during the appeal process the appointee's seat shall be determined to be vacant.
[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[1] or to meetings in executive session, provided that the public vote to go into executive session is properly taken prior to the relevant deadline.
[1]
Editor's Note: see MGL c. 30A, §§ 18 to 25.