Town Government
Boards & Commissions
What Boards & Commissions Are
Beyond the Select Board and the School Committee, much of Scituate’s governing happens on volunteer boards and commissions. The town’s staff directory lists 75 entries, and roughly half of them are boards rather than departments. They approve new development, hear zoning appeals, protect the wetlands and the coastline, 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.
Most members are appointed by the Select Board and serve fixed terms. The Advisory Committee is the exception worth knowing: its nine members are appointed by the Town Moderator, not by the board. The meetings are public, and seats open up regularly.
Key Boards & Commissions
- Advisory Committee is Scituate’s finance committee. Nine residents appointed by the Moderator to three-year terms, and it publishes a recommendation on every Town Meeting article before the vote.
- Planning Board reviews subdivisions, site plans, and major development. Five members plus an alternate, elected town-wide.
- Zoning Board of Appeals hears variances and special permits. 781-545-8716.
- Conservation Commission protects Scituate’s wetlands, brooks, and open space. 781-545-8721.
- Board of Health oversees inspections, clinics, and public health rules. 781-545-8725.
- Coastal Advisory Commission works on erosion, seawalls, flooding, and the town’s response to a rising sea. Twelve members, which makes it one of the two largest boards the town lists.
- Community Preservation Committee recommends how the town’s Community Preservation money is spent on open space, housing, historic buildings and recreation.
- Commission on Disabilities works on equal access and ADA compliance across the town.
- Waterways Commission and the Shellfish Advisory Committee cover the harbor, the moorings, and the shellfish beds.
For every board, its current members and its phone number, see the town’s full staff directory at scituatema.gov.
How to Serve
- Find an opening. The town posts a handbook for board and committee members, plus an online application, on the Select Board’s page.
- Submit the application to the Select Board office, or a letter of interest if you prefer.
- Interview if asked, and await appointment by the Select Board.
- Serve: attend the public meetings and help make decisions for your town.
These seats are not always contested. The Planning Board’s alternate seat was listed as a vacancy in the town’s 2025 elected officials table, and when it came up on the June 6, 2026 ballot no candidate had taken out papers for it. That is what an open door looks like in practice.
Serving on a board is one of the most direct ways to shape Scituate.