Town Government
Reading Boards & Commissions
What Boards & Commissions Are
Beyond the Select Board and the School Committee, much of Reading’s governing happens on volunteer boards and commissions, and the town runs dozens of them, from the Conservation Commission to the Historical Commission to the committee overseeing the new Killam school project. They approve development, hear zoning appeals, protect wetlands, and govern the town’s own electric utility. They are the rooms where an ordinary resident can have the most direct hand in a decision.
Many members are appointed and serve fixed terms, and a few boards are elected directly by the voters. The meetings are public, and seats open up regularly.
Key Boards & Commissions
- Community Planning & Development Commission is Reading’s planning body: it reviews development and land use and holds the public hearings on zoning proposals.
- Zoning Board of Appeals hears variances and special permits.
- Conservation Commission protects Reading’s wetlands, open space, and the Town Forest.
- Finance Committee reviews the budget and advises Town Meeting on spending. Its members are named by an appointment committee that includes the Town Moderator, a deliberate step of independence from the boards it watches.
- Board of Health oversees inspections, permits, and public health rules.
- RMLD Board of Commissioners governs the Reading Municipal Light Department, the town-owned electric utility, and its five members are elected by Reading voters.
- Board of Library Trustees, also elected, has custody and management of the public library.
- Killam School Building Committee oversees the town’s biggest current project, the new Killam Elementary School.
For the full roster, current members, vacancies, and schedules, see the town’s own Boards page.
How to Serve
- Find an opening on the town’s Boards page at readingma.gov.
- Apply: tell the town which board you want to serve on. The Select Board office at Town Hall can point you to the current application.
- Interview if asked. Reading fills many seats through appointment, and a few of its appointment committees include the Town Moderator and sitting chairs.
- Serve: attend the public meetings and help make decisions for your town.
Sources
Reading Boards (readingma.gov). Verified August 2026.
What this seat decides
Your other boards
Board of Health. Tobacco and nicotine sales, flavored products, food permits, and housing conditions. It can pass a binding regulation on its own, without a Town Meeting vote.
Planning Board. Where housing or businesses can be built, height limits, and a specific development. It holds the public hearing, and the zoning change itself is voted by Town Meeting: two thirds for most changes, a simple majority for the housing changes the law lists.
Conservation Commission. A stream, a wetland, a marsh, or a pond.
Library Trustees. Library hours, programs, and policy. The money it spends is voted by Town Meeting.
Recreation Committee. A field, a court, a playground, or a park. The money to build one is voted by Town Meeting.
Historical Commission. An old building, and how it can be protected and preserved.
Serving on a board is one of the most direct ways to shape Reading.