Town Government
Boards & Commissions
What Boards & Commissions Are
Beyond the Select Board and the School Committee, much of Charlton’s governing happens on boards and commissions staffed by residents. They approve new development, hear zoning appeals, protect the wetlands and the town’s lakes and ponds, weigh in on historic places, and guide services for older residents. They are the rooms where an ordinary resident can have the most direct hand in a decision.
Charlton fills some of these seats at the ballot box and the rest by appointment, and the difference matters when you want to reach one. The Select Board is the town’s appointing authority. The Moderator, separately, appoints the seven member Finance Committee. The meetings are public, and the town keeps a page of open committee positions.
Boards Charlton Elects
These sit on the annual town election ballot, which is the shortest route a resident has to a seat. The town publishes an Elected Town Officers list each year with every seat and its term.
- Select Board, five members, three year terms.
- Board of Assessors, three members, three year terms.
- Board of Health, three members, three year terms.
- Planning Board, five members, five year terms.
- Water/Sewer Commission, five members, three year terms.
- Recreation Commission, three members, three year terms.
- Cemetery Commission, three members, three year terms.
- Trustees of the Free Public Library, six members, three year terms.
- Housing Authority, five year terms, with one seat appointed by the state.
- Town Moderator and Constables, three year terms.
- Dudley-Charlton Regional School Committee, Charlton’s four seats.
- Southern Worcester County Regional Vocational School District Committee, Charlton’s two seats.
Boards the Town Appoints
- Zoning Board of Appeals hears variances and special permits.
- Conservation Commission reviews work near wetlands and streams, and takes Notice of Intent filings. Seven members plus two alternates.
- Finance Committee, seven registered voters appointed by the Moderator, reviews the budget and advises Town Meeting on spending.
- Historical Commission and Historic District Commission look after the buildings and the streetscape of Charlton Center.
- Personnel Board, five registered voters who hold no other town office and are not town employees.
- Cultural Council, Economic Development Commission, Open Space and Recreation Committee, Lakes and Ponds Committee, Keep Charlton Beautiful, Earth Day Committee, Fay Mountain Farm Committee and about twenty more.
For the full roster, current members, vacancies, and schedules, see the town’s own All Boards and Committees index.
How to Serve
- Find an opening on the town’s Open Committee Positions page.
- Submit a letter of interest or a Talent Bank Form to the Select Board office at 37 Main Street.
- Interview if asked, and await appointment by the Select Board.
- Serve: attend the public meetings and help make decisions for your town.
- Or run. For an elected board, the route is nomination papers from the Town Clerk and a place on the May ballot.
Serving on a board is one of the most direct ways to shape Charlton.