Town Government
Boards & Commissions
What Boards & Commissions Are
Beyond the Select Board and the School Committee, Hanover lists about thirty boards, committees and commissions on its own site. They approve new development, hear zoning appeals, protect the town’s wetlands and open space, recommend how Community Preservation money is spent, and plan the town’s 300th birthday. They are the rooms where an ordinary resident can have the most direct hand in a decision.
Who fills them is a real question here, and Hanover answers it three ways. Some are elected by the voters: the Select Board, the School Committee, the Planning Board, the Board of Assessors, the Board of Health, the Trustees of the Public Library and the Town Moderator all appeared on a Hanover ballot in 2025 or 2026. Some are appointed by the Select Board. And the Town Moderator appoints several more, including the Advisory Committee that recommends action on every article at Town Meeting.
Key Boards & Commissions
- Advisory Committee reviews every warrant article, balances the budget, and prints its recommendation in bold under each article. Nine members, appointed by the Town Moderator.
- Planning Board reviews subdivisions and site plans and proposes most zoning changes. It wrote the Multi-Family Overlay District bylaw Town Meeting adopted in December 2025. Five elected members plus two associates.
- Zoning Board of Appeals hears variances and special permits. Three members plus three associates.
- Conservation Commission protects Hanover’s wetlands, rivers, and open space, and holds town land the Town Manager may only maintain at its request.
- Board of Health oversees inspections, clinics, and public health rules. Three members, elected.
- Board of Assessors sets property valuations and hears abatements. Three members, elected.
- Community Preservation 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. Nine members.
- Historical Commission works on the town’s historic places and keeps the Stetson House at 514 Hanover Street. Five members.
- Board of Library Trustees governs the John Curtis Free Library. Three members, elected.
- Hanover 300 Anniversary Committee is planning the town’s 300th anniversary year in 2027.
For the full roster, current members, vacancies, and schedules, see hanover-ma.gov.
How to Serve
- Find an opening on the town’s Board and Committee Openings page, which the Select Board keeps current.
- Submit a letter of interest or application to the Select Board office at Town Hall.
- Interview if asked, and await appointment.
- Serve: attend the public meetings and help make decisions for your town.
Two routes are worth knowing about before you turn eighteen. The Town Moderator appoints the Advisory Committee and several other committees, and the town says outright that promoting participation through those appointments is the most important part of the job. And the town publishes an orientation guide for anyone joining a committee, commission, board or trust, linked from the Town Manager’s own page.
Serving on a board is one of the most direct ways to shape Hanover.