Town Government
Boards & Commissions
What Boards & Commissions Are
Beyond the Select Board and the School Committee, Wayland lists about forty boards, committees and commissions. They approve new development, hear zoning appeals, protect the town’s wetlands and open space, weigh in on historic places, set water and sewer policy, and guide services for residents. They are the rooms where an ordinary resident can have the most direct hand in a decision, and many of them have open seats right now.
Who fills them is a real question, and Wayland answers it in two ways. The Select Board appoints Town Counsel, the independent auditor, and every board and committee that no other law assigns elsewhere. And ten offices are not appointed at all. On April 28, 2026 Wayland’s voters directly elected the Select Board, the Moderator, the Board of Health, the Planning Board, the Recreation Commission, the Board of Public Works, the School Committee, the Board of Assessors, the Trustees of the Public Library and the Commissioner of Trust Funds. The Town Clerk used to be on that list and is not any more: the 2022 act made it an appointment of the Town Manager, confirmed by the Select Board.
Key Boards & Commissions
- Planning Board reviews subdivisions, site plans, and major development. Elected town-wide.
- Zoning Board of Appeals hears variances and special permits. Appointed.
- Conservation Commission protects Wayland’s wetlands, rivers, and open space, and writes the rules for the town’s conservation land.
- Finance Committee receives the Town Manager’s operating and capital budgets, works with the manager on long-term financial strategy, and advises Town Meeting on spending.
- Board of Health oversees inspections, clinics, and public health rules. Elected town-wide.
- Board of Public Works sets policy and rates for roads, water, parks, cemeteries and solid waste. Elected town-wide, under Chapter 347 of the Acts of 2008.
- Community Preservation Committee recommends how the town spends its Community Preservation Act money on open space, historic preservation, recreation and affordable housing, and Town Meeting votes each project.
- Historical Commission and the Historic District Commission work on the town’s historic places and preservation projects.
- Energy and Climate Committee and the Surface Water Quality Committee take on the town’s environmental questions.
- Youth Advisory Committee is the one on this list built for people your age, and it works out of Wayland Youth and Family Services.
For the full roster, current members, vacancies, and schedules, see wayland.ma.us.
How to Serve
- Find an opening on the town’s Boards and Committees page, which lists every body and its contact.
- Submit a letter of interest or application to the Select Board office. The board advertises openings on the town website and takes applications up to a stated meeting date.
- Interview if asked, and await appointment. The board votes appointments in open session, by name and by term expiry date.
- Serve: attend the public meetings and help make decisions for your town.
Here is what that looks like on a real night. At its meeting of June 15, 2026 the Select Board voted 5 to 0 to appoint three residents at once: one to the Council on Aging Board for a term ending June 30, 2029, one to the Energy and Climate Committee to the end of 2027, and one to the Senior Tax Relief Committee to June 30, 2029. Every one of them had applied.
Serving on a board is one of the most direct ways to shape Wayland.