Town Government
Boards & Commissions
What Boards & Commissions Are
Erving lists twenty one boards and committees, in a town of 1,665 people. Do the arithmetic and you can see the point: there are more volunteer seats here than there are people who usually show up to fill them, which is why an interested resident can get onto a board that decides real things faster in Erving than almost anywhere else in the state. These are the bodies that approve a subdivision, hear a zoning appeal, protect the wetlands along the Millers River, recommend for or against every money article in the Town Meeting warrant, and set the rules for a septic system.
Most members are appointed by the Select Board and serve fixed terms, and several are elected directly at the annual town election. The meetings are public, and the agendas for every one of them are posted in the same place.
Every Board and Committee in Erving
- Board of Assessors
- Board of Health
- Board of Library Trustees
- Cable Advisory Committee
- Capital Planning Committee
- Cemetery Commission
- Conservation Commission
- Council on Aging
- Cultural Council
- Finance Committee
- Golden Cane Committee
- Historical Commission
- Museum Committee
- Open Space Committee
- Planning Board
- Recreation Commission
- School Committee
- Select Board
- Senior Housing Committee
- Water Commissioners
- Zoning Board of Appeals
The full index, with current members and contact details, is at erving-ma.gov, and every agenda is posted in the Agenda Center.
Four Worth Knowing
- Finance Committee. It reviews every money article before Town Meeting and prints its recommendation in the warrant, so its opinion reaches every household in town by mail.
- Planning Board. Elected, not appointed, and it reviews subdivisions and site plans. Two of its seats were on the 2026 ballot.
- Capital Planning Committee. It builds the list of big purchases the town saves for, which is how a fire truck or a road project gets to a vote.
- Conservation Commission. It has authority over work near the Millers and Connecticut rivers and the town’s wetlands, which in Erving is a great deal of ground.
How to Serve
- Find an opening on the town’s Boards and Committees page, or watch a Select Board agenda for appointments.
- Submit a letter of interest to the Select Board office at the Town Offices, 12 East Main Street.
- Interview if asked, and await appointment by the Select Board. Several boards are elected instead, and those seats go on the May ballot.
- 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 Erving.