In addition to those Town agencies and officers created by the Charter, and until the Town Meeting shall approve an administrative code, the following Town agencies and officers are hereby created:
The Town Clerk shall be appointed by the Town Manager.
[1]
Article 42 of the 2025 Spring Town Meeting amended this section on 5/1/2025 to delete the one-year term and the requirement that the Town Clerk be a Town resident.
In addition to those powers and duties given by the Charter, by other sections of these bylaws or otherwise given by law, the Town Clerk shall have such additional powers and duties as the Town Manager shall assign, consistent with law.
Unless otherwise specified in these bylaws, by the Charter, by a rule or regulation of a Town agency or by other law, the Town Clerk’s office shall be the official place for filing of any document which may or should be filed in the Town.
It shall be the duty of the Town Clerk to maintain current and accurately updated electronic copies of the “Winchester Home Rule Charter”, “Code of Bylaws, Town of Winchester”, “Zoning Bylaw of the Town of Winchester”, and all other rules and regulations that are made available to them.[1]
The Town Clerk shall, on or before each October 1, and at such other times as the committee on rules may request, notify in writing each Town Meeting member who is subject to forfeiture of office for any of the reasons stated in Article 2, Section 2-5 (c), of the Charter and submit a list of these Town Meeting members to the Committee on Rules.
[1]
Article 42 of the 2025 Spring Town Meeting amended this paragraph on 5/1/2025 to require electronic copies of the documents and to eliminate the minimum fee requirement.
[1]
Article 3 of the 1983 Fall Town Meeting deleted Sections 4 and 5, which set forth the eligibility and duties of Town Counsel, since such language is now found in the Charter.
The Town Treasurer/Collector shall be appointed by the Town Manager.
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Article 15 of the 2003 Fall Town Meeting deleted the requirement that the Treasurer be a resident of the Town. Article 42 of the 2025 Spring Town Meeting amended this section on 5/1/2025 to change "Treasurer" to "Treasurer/Collector" and to eliminate the one-year term.
In addition to those powers and duties otherwise given by law or which the Town Manager shall assign, consistent with law, the Town Treasurer shall have the following powers and duties:
(a)
The Town Treasurer/Collector shall supervise and be responsible for the collection and receipt of all sums and accounts due, owing or paid to the Town, including taxes and fees, and shall act as the Town Collector of Taxes.
(b)
The Town Treasurer/Collector shall report directly to the Select Board at such times as they may direct or as the Town Treasurer may deem appropriate, but at least semi-annually, as to all uncollected claims or accounts due or owing to the Town. Such reports shall include the recommendations from the Town Treasurer/Collector as to whether suit should be instituted on behalf of the Town for the establishment or collection of any claim or account for the benefit of the Town.
(c)
The Town Treasurer/Collector shall supervise and be responsible for the prompt deposit, safekeeping and management of all monies collected or received by the Town.
(d)
The Town Treasurer/Collector shall be the custodian of all funds, monies, securities or other things of value which are or have been given, bequeathed or deposited in trust with the Town for any purpose, including the preservation, care, improvement or embellishment of Wildwood Cemetery, or of burial lots therein. The Town Treasurer/Collector shall invest the same as directed by the Board of Trust Fund Commissioners and shall distribute the income therefrom on the order of or with the approval of the Board of Trust Fund Commissioners.
[1]
Article 23 of the 2024 Fall Town Meeting amended this section to make the text gender-neutral on 11/18/2024. Article 42 of the 2025 Spring Town Meeting amended this section on 5/1/2025 to change "Treasurer" to "Treasurer/Collector."
The Town Manager shall appoint the Town Engineer who is a registered professional engineer in Massachusetts.
[1]
Article 42 of the 2025 Spring Town Meeting amended this section on 5/1/2025 to provide for the appointment of a Town Engineer and to eliminate the requirement that the Engineer be a Town resident.
In addition to those duties otherwise given by law or which the Select Board or the Town Manager may request or authorize the Town Engineer to perform, consistent with law, the Town Engineer shall have the following powers and duties:
(a)
Unless otherwise provided, the Town Engineer shall have custody of all plans and engineering records of the Town.
(b)
The Town Engineer shall supervise and direct all engineering work undertaken by any Town agency in the performance of its duties or necessary in connection with any work or undertaking authorized by any Town agency. In performing this duty, the Town Engineer shall prepare, or cause to be prepared, all necessary plans and shall furnish all necessary engineering data obtainable from the records or by use of the facilities of his office.
(c)
The Town Engineer, under the direction of the Town Manager, shall assign numbers to all buildings in the Town (other than garages and other buildings adjacent and appurtenant to dwellings) on or near the lines of streets or private ways in accordance with a plan of uniform spacing in each district established by the zoning bylaw.
Every building in the Town may be identified by the number so assigned to it or to a building to which it is appurtenant. The owner of every building in the Town shall affix and maintain thereon, or place and maintain on or near the entrance walk thereto, the number so assigned in figures of such size and so placed as to be visible from the street on which it abuts.
(d)
The Town Engineer shall generally advise and assist all Town agencies with respect to engineering matters.
[1]
Article 23 of the 2024 Fall Town Meeting amended this section to make the text gender-neutral on 11/18/2024.
The Town Manager shall appoint constables who shall be appointed for a term of one year, and shall make application for such office in accordance with M.G.L. c. 41, § 91B.
[1]
Article 42 of the 2025 Spring Town Meeting amended this section on 5/1/2025 to eliminate the requirement that the Constables be Town residents.
The Select Board shall appoint members of the Board of Trust Fund Commissioners, each for a term of three years, so arranged that the term of one member expires each year. The members of the Board of Trust Fund Commissioners shall be residents of the Town.
[1]
Article 42 of the 2025 Spring Town Meeting amended this section on 5/1/2025.
In addition to those powers and duties otherwise given by law or which the Select Board or Town Manager may assign, consistent with law, the Board of Trust Fund Commissioners shall also have the management and control of all funds, monies, securities or other things of value which are or have been given, bequeathed, or deposited in trust with the Town Treasurer in accordance with M.G.L. c. 114, § 19 or otherwise.
[1]
Article 23 of the 2024 Fall Town Meeting amended this section to make the text gender-neutral on 11/18/2024.