Town Government
Boards & Commissions
What Boards & Commissions Are
Auburn keeps two full alphabetical pages of them, A to K and L to Z, and a third page listing which ones have empty seats. They approve new development, hear zoning appeals, rule on work near wetlands, hand out cultural grants, run the library and the housing authority, and advise Town Meeting on every dollar. They are the rooms where an ordinary resident can have the most direct hand in a decision.
Most members are appointed by the Select Board and serve fixed terms. The Finance Committee and the Zoning Board of Appeals are named in the charter as the board’s appointments specifically. The meetings are public, they are posted on the same Agenda Center as everything else, and seats open up regularly.
Key Boards & Commissions
- Planning Board reviews subdivisions, site plans and major development.
- Zoning Board of Appeals hears variances and special permits, and is appointed by the Select Board.
- Finance Committee reviews the budget and recommends on every warrant article, meeting at 5:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday from June through November.
- Board of Health oversees inspections, clinics and public health rules.
- Conservation Commission protects Auburn’s wetlands, streams and open space.
- Cultural Council awards state cultural grants to local artists, performances and school programs, and publishes its recipients year by year.
- Library Board of Trustees sets library policy and hours.
- Historical Commission weighs in on the town’s historic buildings and places.
- Commission on Disability works on equal access across the town.
- Youth Commission and the Agricultural Committee, the Economic Development Committee and the Fire Station Building Committee each carry a piece of the town’s future.
For the full roster, current members, vacancies and schedules, see the town’s Boards & Commissions A to K and L to Z pages.
How to Serve
- Find an opening on the town’s Boards & Committees Vacancies page.
- Submit a letter of interest or application to the Select Board office at Town Hall.
- Interview if asked, and await appointment by the Select Board.
- Serve: attend the public meetings and help make decisions for your town.
If you are not yet old enough to be appointed, the Town Manager’s Office runs a Citizens Leadership Academy that takes applicants at sixteen with a parent or guardian’s permission, and it is the fastest way to meet the people who sit on these boards.
Sources
Town of Auburn, Government. Verified August 2026.
What this seat decides
Your other boards
Board of Health. Tobacco and nicotine sales, flavored products, food permits, and housing conditions. It can pass a binding regulation on its own without a Town Meeting vote, which makes it the fastest lever in Massachusetts.
Planning Board. Where housing or businesses can be built, height limits, and a specific development. It holds the public hearing, and the zoning change itself is voted by Town Meeting or the Council and needs two thirds.
Conservation Commission. A stream, a wetland, a marsh, or a pond.
Library Trustees. Library hours, programs, and policy. The library's money comes from Town Meeting.
Parks and Recreation Commission. A field, a court, a playground, or a park. The money for building one usually comes from Town Meeting.
Historical Commission. An old building, and whether it can be torn down or saved.
Serving on a board is one of the most direct ways to shape Auburn.