Town Government
Salisbury Boards & Commissions
What Boards & Commissions Are
Beyond the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee, much of Salisbury’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 it is split. By the town’s own account, the Town Manager appoints the members of the Board of Health, the Conservation Commission and the Zoning Board of Appeals, along with all department heads. The Board of Selectmen appoints residents to many of the town’s other boards and committees, and it advertises the openings. And some bodies are elected directly by Salisbury voters rather than appointed at all: the Board of Selectmen itself, and the town’s seats on the Triton Regional School Committee, are filled at the annual May town election.
Key Boards & Commissions
- Planning Board reviews subdivisions, site plans, and major development, and it has led the town’s MBTA Communities and Missing Middle zoning work.
- Zoning Board of Appeals hears variances and special permits. Its members are appointed by the Town Manager.
- Conservation Commission protects Salisbury’s wetlands, the Great Marsh, and the dunes along the beach. Its members are appointed by the Town Manager.
- Warrant Advisory Committee reviews the town budget and advises Town Meeting on the warrant articles before residents vote them.
- Board of Health oversees inspections, permits, and public health rules. Its members are appointed by the Town Manager.
- Affordable Housing Trust is a seven-member board that works to expand affordable housing in Salisbury, with a fund it stewards for that purpose.
- Historical Commission works on the town’s historic places and sponsors preservation projects.
- Housing Authority runs the town’s public housing.
- Merrimack River Beach Alliance is the regional table where Salisbury, Newburyport and state agencies coordinate on erosion and the future of the beach.
For the full roster, current members, vacancies, and schedules, see salisburyma.gov.
How to Serve
- Find an opening on the town’s boards and committees page.
- Submit a letter of interest or application to the Board of Selectmen 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.
This is not a formality. At its meeting of June 22, 2026, the Board of Selectmen took up applications for open seats and appointed residents to the Affordable Housing Trust, the Agricultural Commission and the Board of Registrars, each one a resident who put in a letter of interest. Seats open up on a rolling basis, and the person who applies is often the only one in the running.
Serving on a board is one of the most direct ways to shape Salisbury.