Town Government
Boards & Commissions
What Boards & Commissions Are
Beyond the Select Board and the School Committee, most of Otis’s governing happens on volunteer boards and commissions. They approve new lots and subdivisions, hear zoning appeals, protect the wetlands around Otis Reservoir and the West Branch of the Farmington River, watch over the historic centre of town, and run services for older residents. They are the rooms where an ordinary resident can have the most direct hand in a decision.
Otis is unusual in how many of these seats are ELECTED rather than appointed. The Assessors, the Finance Board, the Planning Board, the Cemetery Commission and the Library Trustees are all chosen by the voters at the annual town election, which is why eleven separate town offices were on the 2026 ballot. Most of the rest are appointed by the Select Board, and seats open up regularly.
Key Boards & Commissions
- Planning Board reviews subdivisions and site plans, oversees site plan review in the village district, and writes the changes to the town’s protective bylaws that Town Meeting then votes. Five members, elected to five-year terms. Applications are due the first Wednesday of the month by 3:00 PM.
- Zoning Board of Appeals hears variances and special permits. Chair Travis Ward, with four members and two associate members. The building commissioner signs off before an application reaches the Town Clerk.
- Conservation Commission protects Otis’s wetlands, brooks and shoreline under the state Wetlands Protection Act. Chair David Sarnacki. Office hours are the second and fourth Thursday of the month, 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
- Finance Board is elected, not appointed. Its three members review every town department’s budget with the Select Board, meet the school district in advance of its budget, and advise Town Meeting on what the town can afford. Chair Lisamarie D’Orazio.
- Board of Health is the three Select Board members in a second role, working with a Sanitation Inspector and an agent from Tri-Town Health on septic permits, inspections and public health rules.
- Board of Assessors sets the town’s property valuations and the tax rate base. Three members, elected to staggered three-year terms.
- Council on Aging runs the senior centre, outreach, trips and food programmes for older residents.
- Historical Commission looks after the town’s historic buildings and places, including the Otis Center Historic District and the East Otis Schoolhouse, both on the National Register.
- Cultural Council awards state Mass Cultural Council grants to arts, humanities and science projects that serve Otis residents.
- Board of Registrars maintains the voter rolls, certifies nomination papers, and conducts recounts. Its members signed the June 2026 Select Board recount.
- Cemetery Commission manages the town’s five cemeteries and their records.
- Parks & Recreation Commission runs year-round programmes and looks after the town hall park, playground and skatepark.
- Library Trustees, Scholarship Committee and the Revitalization Committee round out the list, along with the Master Plan Steering Committee that works alongside the Planning Board.
For the full roster, current members, vacancies and schedules, see otisma.gov. Every board’s agendas and minutes are posted at the town’s Agendas and Minutes page.
How to Serve
- Decide which kind of seat you want. Some Otis boards are elected at the annual town election in May, and some are appointed by the Select Board.
- For an elected seat, get nominated at the town caucus in April or take out nomination papers from the Town Clerk. A write-in campaign is a real option here: one came within three votes of a Select Board seat in 2026.
- For an appointed seat, submit the town’s Appointment Application Form, available on the Select Board page, to the Select Board office.
- Interview if asked. The board holds interview meetings and posts them like any other.
- 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 Otis.