Rutland, Massachusetts

Photo: Published by A. J. Thomas, Rutland, Mass. Tichnor Bros. Inc., Boston, Mass., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Drive out Central Tree Road and you reach a marked maple that stands at the geographic center of Massachusetts, the single spot from which every other city and town in the state fans outward. Rutland’s common sits about 1,200 feet up, the highest of any town between the Berkshires and the Atlantic, and the town still settles its budget the oldest way there is: at an open Town Meeting where any registered voter can stand up, argue, and vote. There are no elected Town Meeting members to speak for you here. If you are registered, you are already a member, and the money is decided by whoever fills the room. This guide shows you how to get into that room and how the rest of the town runs between meetings.

Rutland at a Glance

9,049Residents (2020)

1713Incorporated

5Select Board Members

6,427District Students

Sources: Massachusetts DESE, school and district profiles · US Census Bureau (data.census.gov).

County: Worcester. Rutland is the geographic center of Massachusetts, an inland hill town of about 35 square miles whose common is the highest of any town between the Berkshires and the coast.
Government: open Town Meeting, with an elected five-member Select Board and an appointed Town Administrator, Heather Butler.
Schools: the five-town Wachusett Regional School District, about 6,427 students, led by Superintendent James Reilly.

How Rutland’s Government Works

Rutland runs on an open Town Meeting, which means there are no elected Town Meeting members at all: every registered voter in Rutland is a member, and any of them can walk in, speak, and vote on the budget. Voters also elect a 5 member Select Board to set policy between meetings and the School Committee that oversees the schools. The Select Board hires a professional Town Administrator to run the town day to day. So the money is voted by whoever shows up, the direction is set by the Select Board, and the daily work is carried out by the Town Administrator.

Town Meeting

The legislative body, and it is not a committee. Every registered voter in Rutland is a member. Town Meeting adopts the annual budget, passes town bylaws, and approves major spending. This is direct democracy in its literal sense.

Select Board

5 members elected town-wide. They set policy, sign the warrants that decide what reaches Town Meeting, appoint residents to many town boards, and hire and supervise the Town Administrator.

Town Administrator

The appointed chief administrator. Runs the departments, builds the budget, and answers to the Select Board. Hired under contract, not elected.

School Committee

A 16-seat regional committee shared by five towns. Rutland’s voters elect three of its members. It sets school policy, approves the district budget, and hires the Superintendent.

Residents elect the 5 members of the Select Board and the School Committee.
The Select Board hires the Town Administrator and decides what goes on the Town Meeting warrant.
Town Meeting votes the budget and the bylaws, and every registered voter present can vote.
You take part: register at 16, vote at 18, and once you are registered you are already a member of Town Meeting.

Civic Calendar

Select Board: meets on alternating Mondays at Town Hall, 250 Main Street. Each agenda is posted in advance, so check the town calendar before you go.
Town Meeting: the Annual Town Meeting is held on the Saturday before the second Monday in May, and a fall Town Meeting is held on the third Thursday in November. The town can also call a Special Town Meeting when business cannot wait.
Town elections: Rutland votes in the spring. The 2026 Annual Town Election was held on May 11. The next is in spring 2027.
State and federal elections: even-numbered years. The 2026 primary and general are this fall.

Explore the Rutland Edition

Your County Officials

Two of the people with the most direct power over your life are elected countywide. The district attorney decides who gets charged with a crime, and what they get charged with. The sheriff runs the county jail. Both of them answer to the voters of Worcester County, and that includes Rutland. They appear on your ballot. Now you know what to look for.

District Attorney, Worcester District

Joseph D. Early Jr.

In office since 2003
Official site

Sheriff, Worcester County

Lew Evangelidis

In office since 2011
Official site

Every county in Massachusetts elects its own, and the job is the same everywhere: the charging decisions, the jail. Look up any town in the state and see who holds these two offices there.

Officials for any Massachusetts town

Your First Civic Action in Rutland

You do not have to wait until you can vote to be heard in your own town. Here is how to take a real concern to the people who decide.

Pick the right body. Town policy, roads, and police or fire go to the Select Board. Schools go to the School Committee. The budget and bylaws are voted by Town Meeting.
Find the meeting. The Select Board meets on alternating Mondays at Town Hall, 250 Main Street, and the agenda is posted in advance.
Know your members. Five Select Board members are elected town-wide, so every one of them answers to you.
Speak. Meetings are open to the public and residents may address the board. Check the agenda for how to sign up.
Or skip the trip. Report a pothole, a broken light, or a missed pickup to the Department of Public Works, which is the department that owns the repair.

Town Hall: 250 Main Street, Rutland, MA 01543. Main line 508-886-4100.
Town Clerk & agendas: 508-886-4100 Ext. 3010, with meeting agendas and minutes posted at rutlandma.gov.
Public schools: the Wachusett Regional School District, 508-829-1670, wrsd.net.

Local government works best when residents show up. Find your Select Board, speak at a meeting on the town’s published calendar, or simply register to vote and take your seat at Town Meeting.

Meet Your Select Board

Take Action in Your Town