Town Government
Spencer Boards & Commissions
What Boards & Commissions Are
Beyond the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee, much of Spencer’s governing happens on volunteer boards and commissions. They approve new development, hear zoning appeals, protect the wetlands along the Seven Mile River, review the budget before Town Meeting sees it, and guide services for residents. They are the rooms where an ordinary resident can have the most direct hand in a decision, and they are staffed by neighbors.
Spencer runs more than twenty of them. Some members are elected on the town ballot, including the Board of Health, the Board of Assessors, the water and sewer commissioners, the Housing Authority and the Library Trustees. Most of the rest are appointed by the Board of Selectmen and serve fixed terms. The meetings are public, and seats open up regularly.
Key Boards & Commissions
- Planning Board reviews subdivisions, site plans and major development.
- Zoning Board of Appeals hears variances and special permits.
- Conservation Commission protects Spencer’s wetlands, rivers and open space.
- Finance Committee reviews the budget and advises Town Meeting on spending. The Town Moderator sits on it, ex officio.
- Board of Health oversees inspections, septic rules and public health.
- Historical Commission looks after Spencer’s historic buildings and records.
- Cultural Council awards state arts and culture grants to local projects.
- Economic Development Committee works on business and downtown development.
- Master Plan Advisory Committee shapes the town’s long range plan.
- Charitable Needs Committee administers the town’s charitable funds for residents in need.
For the full roster, current members, vacancies and schedules, see the town’s own Boards index.
How to Serve
- Find an opening on the town’s boards and committees pages.
- Fill out the town’s own Board and Committee Volunteer Form, which the town publishes as a download, and send it to the Board of Selectmen office.
- Interview if asked, and await appointment by the Board of Selectmen.
- Or run for one. Several of these seats are elected on the annual town ballot, and in 2026 more than one of them was filled by write-in votes, which tells you how open the door is.
Serving on a board is one of the most direct ways to shape Spencer.