City Government
Boards & Commissions
What Boards & Commissions Are
Beyond the Council and the School Committee, much of Agawam’s governing happens on volunteer boards and commissions. The town lists seventeen of them, and the range is the point: one board plans development, another hears zoning appeals, another advises on a municipal golf course, and one administers two charitable funds left to the town in wills from 1881 and 1891. These are the rooms where an ordinary resident can have the most direct hand in a decision.
Appointment paths vary by board: the Whiting Street and Thomas Pyne Funds commissioners, for example, are appointed by the Mayor and approved by the City Council, while bodies like the Housing Committee and the Commission on Disabilities were established by Council vote. The meetings are public.
Key Boards & Commissions
- Planning Board handles community planning, development, and land use.
- Zoning Board of Appeals hears appeals and decides special permits, variances, and comprehensive permits, case by case.
- Conservation Commission regulates work near wetlands, a duty state law assigns because of the ecological importance of those habitats.
- Board of Health guards public health.
- Community Preservation Act Committee steers CPA money toward open space, historic sites, affordable housing, and recreation.
- Housing Committee, established by the City Council in 2014, studies the town’s housing needs at every income level.
- Commission on Disabilities, established by vote of the City Council, works to include people with disabilities in the community’s activities, services, and employment.
- Energy Commission develops programs for energy efficiency and resource sustainability.
- Golf Commission advises on the maintenance, promotion, and administration of the Agawam Municipal Golf Course.
- Historical Commission helps preserve and protect the town’s historical and archeological assets.
- Whiting Street and Thomas Pyne Funds commissioners distribute income from two funds bequeathed in 1881 and 1891 to help residents through emergencies such as a lost job, lost housing, or an uncovered medical bill.
- Plus the License Commission, the Beautification Committee, the Cable Television Commission, Cemetery, the Citizen Stormwater Advisory Task Force, and the Council on Aging board.
For the full list, current members, and each board’s page, see agawam.ma.us, Boards & Commissions.
How to Serve
- Find the board that fits what you care about on the town’s Boards & Commissions page.
- Go to a meeting. They are public, and watching one is the fastest way to learn how the board actually works.
- Ask about openings. Call Town Hall at 413-786-0400 and ask how to be considered when a seat opens.
- Serve: attend the public meetings and help make decisions for your town.
Serving on a board is one of the most direct ways to shape Agawam.