Town Government
Boards & Commissions
What Boards & Commissions Are
Beyond the Select Board and the School Committee, much of Dedham’s governing happens on volunteer boards and commissions, and the town runs about forty of them, from the Active Transportation Working Group at the top of the alphabet to the Zoning Board of Appeals at the bottom. They approve development, hear zoning appeals, protect wetlands, watch the budget, and steer projects like the Facilities Master Plan and the Town Green. 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 meetings are public, and the town posts its current vacancies on its own site.
Key Boards & Commissions
- Planning Board studies and plans the town’s development and land use, current and future.
- Zoning Board of Appeals hears challenges to decisions made by the Building Commissioner or the Planning Board.
- Conservation Commission protects wetlands, related water resources, and adjoining land.
- Finance & Warrant Committee is one of the most important voices on town finances, making recommendations on all town financial matters, most notably the budget that Town Meeting votes.
- Board of Health formulates and enforces rules that protect the environment and public health.
- Commission on Disability advocates for access in commercial and public buildings, playgrounds, and schools.
- Youth Commission Board supports programming for Dedham’s young people, alongside the town’s Youth Commission staff.
- Endicott Estate Commission maintains one of the town’s most prominent historic buildings, the Endicott Estate on East Street.
For the full roster, current members, vacancies, and schedules, see the town’s own All Boards & Committees page.
How to Serve
- Find an opening on the town’s Board & Committee Vacancies page at dedhamma.gov.
- Apply: tell the town which board you want to serve on. The Town Manager’s Office at Town Hall can point you to the current process.
- Interview if asked, and await appointment, most often by the Select Board.
- Serve: the Town Clerk administers the oath of office to every appointed member, and then the work starts: public meetings, real decisions.
Sources
Dedham All Boards & Committees (dedhamma.gov). 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 Dedham.