Town Government
Boards & Commissions
What Boards & Commissions Are
Beyond the Select Board and the School Committee, much of Eastham’s governing happens on volunteer boards and commissions. They approve new development, hear zoning appeals, protect the town’s wetlands and open space, weigh in on historic places, and guide how the town spends its preservation money. They are the rooms where an ordinary resident can have the most direct hand in a decision.
Who fills them is worth knowing, and the charter answers it. A handful of bodies are elected directly by the voters: the Select Board, the Town Moderator, the Eastham Elementary School Committee, and the members of the Housing Authority. Most other boards and committees are appointed, either by the Select Board or by the Town Manager, and vacancies open up regularly, which is the opening an ordinary resident walks through.
Key Boards & Commissions
- Planning Board reviews subdivisions, site plans, and major development.
- Zoning Board of Appeals hears variances and special permits.
- Conservation Commission protects Eastham’s wetlands, ponds, and open space, which matters in a town that sits inside the Cape Cod National Seashore.
- Finance Committee reviews the budget and advises Town Meeting on spending.
- Board of Health oversees inspections, wells and septic, and public health rules.
- Community Preservation Act Committee recommends how the town spends its Community Preservation Act money on open space, historic preservation, recreation and affordable housing, and Town Meeting votes each project.
- Historical Commission works on the town’s historic places and sponsors preservation projects.
- Affordable Housing Trust works to expand year-round housing on a Cape where housing is scarce.
For the full roster, current members, vacancies, and schedules, see the town’s board directory at eastham-ma.gov and its application portal at onboard.eastham-ma.gov.
How to Serve
- Find an opening on the town’s boards and committees page.
- Submit a letter of interest or application to the Select Board office. The board advertises its openings on the town website and on social media, and it takes applications up to a stated meeting date.
- Interview if asked, and await appointment.
- Serve: attend the public meetings and help make decisions for your town.
You do not have to wait until you turn eighteen to serve. The town regularly seats residents at large on its committees and working groups, and those seats go to people who simply apply. A committee is often the most direct hand an ordinary resident can have in a town decision, and it is a real credential to carry into the rest of your civic life.
Serving on a board is one of the most direct ways to shape Eastham.