Town Government
Boards & Commissions
What Boards & Commissions Are
Beyond the Select Board and the School Committee, much of Walpole’s governing happens on volunteer boards and commissions. They approve new development, hear zoning appeals, protect the wetlands along the Neponset River, watch over town-owned land like Adams Farm, and guide services for residents. They are the rooms where an ordinary resident can have the most direct hand in a decision.
Many members are appointed by the Select Board, and the Town Moderator appoints three of the most consequential bodies: the Finance Committee, the Capital Budget Committee, and the Personnel Board. A few boards are elected: the charter puts the five-member Planning Board on the town ballot. The meetings are public, and seats open up regularly.
Key Boards & Commissions
- Finance Committee: fifteen volunteers appointed by the Town Moderator. It reviews every budget and warrant article and publishes its recommendation to Town Meeting before each session, which makes it one of the most influential rooms in town.
- Planning Board reviews subdivisions, site plans, and major development. Five members, elected town-wide.
- Zoning Board of Appeals hears variances and special permits.
- Conservation Commission administers the Wetlands Protection Act and the town’s wetlands and stormwater bylaws.
- Board of Health oversees inspections, clinics, and public health rules.
- Adams Farm and Town Forest Committees steward the town’s own conservation land.
For the full roster, current members, vacancies, and schedules, see walpole-ma.gov/boards.
How to Serve
- Find an opening on the town’s boards and committees page, which posts current vacancies.
- Submit an application to the Select Board office at Town Hall. The town publishes an application form for board and committee seats.
- Interview if asked, and await appointment by the Select Board, or by the Moderator for the committees the Moderator appoints.
- Serve: attend the public meetings and help make decisions for your town.
Serving on a board is one of the most direct ways to shape Walpole.