Town Government
Boards & Commissions
What Boards & Commissions Are
Beyond the Select Board and the School Committee, Uxbridge publishes thirty six boards and committees, and most of them are made of residents who volunteered. They approve new development, hear zoning appeals, protect the town’s wetlands and open space, decide what gets preserved, plan the capital budget and run the town’s 300th anniversary. They are the rooms where an ordinary resident has the most direct hand in a decision.
Who appoints them is a real question here, and the charter answers it in three places. The VOTERS elect the Select Board, the School Committee, the Board of Health and the Moderator outright, and also elect the Housing Authority, the Library Trustees, the Edward C. Thayer Fund trustees, Uxbridge’s representative on the Blackstone Valley regional vocational school district committee, and three of the seven members of the Finance Committee. The SELECT BOARD appoints Town Counsel, the board of registrars of voters, a trust fund commission, the historic cemetery committee, the historical commission, the council on aging, the recreation commission, the cultural council and the cable advisory committee. The TOWN MANAGER appoints the conservation commission, the capital planning committee, the planning board and the zoning board of appeals. The Moderator appoints the other four members of the Finance Committee.
Key Boards & Commissions
- Planning Board reviews subdivisions, site plans and major development. Chairman Eli Laverdiere, with Town Planner Jack Hunter staffing it.
- Zoning Board of Appeals hears variances and special permits. Chairman James Blackburn, Vice Chairman Robert Knapik, Clerk Thomas McNulty.
- Conservation Commission protects Uxbridge’s wetlands, rivers and open space. Chairman Russell Holden and Vice Chair Jim Hogan, with Conservation Agent Jeff Shaw.
- Finance Committee reviews the budget and advises Town Meeting on spending. Seven members: four appointed by the Moderator and three elected by the voters. Chair Jennifer Modica, Vice Chair Patrick Stephan.
- Board of Health oversees inspections, clinics and public health rules. Five members elected town-wide to three year terms. Chair Dr. David Tapscott, Vice Chair Dr. Cay DenHerder.
- Historical Commission works on the town’s historic places and preservation projects. Chair Beverly Gudanowski.
- Capital Planning Committee builds the town’s capital plan, which is one of the documents Town Meeting votes.
- Charter Review Committee and By-Law Review Committee exist because the rules themselves are meant to be revisited. Uxbridge’s charter was last revised on May 23, 2023 by a Town Meeting vote and the Annual Town Election.
- 300th Anniversary Committee is planning the town’s tercentenary. Uxbridge was incorporated on June 27, 1727.
For the full roster, current members, vacancies and schedules, see the town’s own Boards & Committees index.
How to Serve
- Fill out the Talent Bank Form. Uxbridge runs its volunteer appointments through one form, and the town keeps it online, at the Town Clerk’s office and at the Town Manager’s office.
- Find an opening. The Boards & Committees index lists every body, and the Select Board reads out which ones have vacancies at its own meetings. In May 2026 it reported that the Cultural Council had eight members and fourteen openings.
- Interview if asked, and await appointment by whichever body the charter puts in charge of that seat.
- Serve: attend the public meetings and help make decisions for your town.
One rule is worth knowing before you volunteer. The charter defines a quorum as a majority of the members then in office, not counting the vacancies, so a committee that is short-handed can still act, and one more member changes what a majority means. That is a large amount of leverage for a seat nobody is competing for.
Serving on a board is one of the most direct ways to shape Uxbridge.