Town Government
Boards & Commissions
What Boards & Commissions Are
Beyond the Select Board and the School Committee, much of Hudson’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 services for residents. They are the rooms where an ordinary resident can have the most direct hand in a decision.
Who appoints them is a real question here, and Hudson’s charter answers it in three places. Section 3-7(a) gives the Select Board the appointment of the Board of Registrars, the Board of Appeals, the personnel board, the town accountant, town counsel, the conservation commission and the industrial development finance authority, and section 3-7(c) adds every appointment the charter does not assign to somebody else. Section 3-7(b) does something unusual with the Finance Committee: the power to appoint it belongs to a committee of three people, the Chair of the Select Board, the Moderator, and the Chair of the Finance Committee itself. And thirteen bodies are not appointed at all. Under section 3-1 the voters elect the Select Board, the Moderator, the School Committee, the Trustees of Benevolent Funds, the Housing Authority, the Municipal Light Board, the Park Commission, the Board of Health, the Library Trustees, the Planning Board, the Cemetery Commission, the constables and the Board of Assessors. Every one of those thirteen was on the May 11, 2026 ballot, and nothing else was.
Key Boards & Commissions
- Municipal Light Board oversees the town’s own electric utility. Three members, elected, three year terms, meeting at 49 Forest Avenue on the third Tuesday of every month. In most of Massachusetts the electricity comes from a private utility, so this is a ballot line very few voters ever get.
- Planning Board reviews subdivisions, site plans, and major development. Elected.
- Zoning Board of Appeals hears variances and special permits. This is the charter’s board of appeals, appointed by the Select Board.
- Conservation Commission protects Hudson’s wetlands, rivers, and open space. Appointed by the Select Board.
- Finance Committee reviews the budget and advises Town Meeting on spending. Appointed by the three person committee described above.
- Board of Health oversees inspections, clinics, and public health rules. Elected. In April 2026 it issued a written decision and statement of findings on a request to modify the site assignment for the Hudson Transfer Station, which is what a small elected board deciding a real question looks like.
- 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.
- Historical Commission works on the town’s historic places and sponsors preservation projects.
- Housing Authority runs the town’s public housing. Elected, five year terms, plus a Town Tenant board member the Select Board appoints.
For the full roster, current members, vacancies, and schedules, see townofhudson.org.
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.
Two live examples of how ordinary that process is. In July 2026 the town asked residents to submit interest cards for the Town Manager Search Committee, with a deadline of August 3. In May 2026 the Planning and Community Development office advertised an opening on the Historical Commission and gave a staff member’s direct phone number and email to call about it. Neither posting asked for a resume full of titles. They asked for people who would show up.
Serving on a board is one of the most direct ways to shape Hudson.