Town Government
Weston Boards & Commissions
What Boards & Commissions Are
Beyond the Select Board and the School Committee, Weston runs on volunteer boards and commissions, and the town lists 35 of them as active. They approve new development, hear zoning appeals, protect the town’s wetlands and open space, weigh in on historic places, and guide services for residents. They are the rooms where an ordinary resident can put a hand directly on a decision.
Who seats them is a real question here, and Weston answers it two ways. Ten offices are elected by the voters themselves: the Select Board, the School Committee, the Planning Board, the Board of Assessors, the Board of Health, the Board of Library Trustees, the Recreation Commission, the Commissioners of Trust Funds, the Moderator and the Measurers of Lumber. Everything else under the Select Board’s jurisdiction is appointed by the Select Board under Chapter 80 of the Acts of 2001, which is a shorter walk than it sounds: the board advertises the opening and takes applications from residents.
Key Boards & Commissions
- Planning Board reviews subdivisions, site plans, and major development. Elected by the voters.
- Zoning Board of Appeals hears variances and special permits. Appointed by the Select Board.
- Conservation Commission protects Weston’s wetlands and manages roughly 1,800 acres of town conservation land. Appointed by the Select Board.
- Finance Committee reviews the budget and advises Town Meeting on spending.
- Board of Health oversees inspections, permits, and public health rules. Elected by the voters.
- Community Preservation Committee recommends how the town spends its Community Preservation Act money on open space, historic preservation, recreation and community housing, and Town Meeting votes each project.
- Historical Commission works on the town’s historic places. Town Meeting created it in 1968.
- Traffic & Sidewalk Committee takes up the crossings, speeds and sidewalks that a resident is most likely to notice on the way to school.
For the full roster, current members, vacancies and schedules, see the town’s list of active bodies in alphabetical order.
How to Serve
- Find an opening on the town’s active boards and committees page.
- Submit a letter of interest or an application to the Select Board office. The board advertises its openings and takes applications up to a stated meeting date.
- Interview if asked, and await appointment.
- Serve: attend the public meetings and help make decisions for your town.
Here is what that path looked like on one night. At its meeting of May 12, 2026, the Select Board took up a vacancy on the Tree Advisory Group that had been advertised, interviewed the one resident who had applied, and made the appointment the same evening. Advertisement to seat, in a single public meeting, and it is all in the approved minutes.
What this seat decides
Your other boards
Board of Health. Tobacco and nicotine sales, flavored products, food permits, and housing conditions. It can pass a binding regulation on its own, without a Town Meeting vote.
Planning Board. Where housing or businesses can be built, height limits, and a specific development. It holds the public hearing, and the zoning change itself is voted by Town Meeting: two thirds for most changes, a simple majority for the housing changes the law lists.
Conservation Commission. A stream, a wetland, a marsh, or a pond.
Library Trustees. Library hours, programs, and policy. The money it spends is voted by Town Meeting.
Parks and Recreation Commission. A field, a court, a playground, or a park. The money to build one is voted by Town Meeting.
Historical Commission. An old building, and how it can be protected and preserved.
Serving on a board puts you in the room where the decision gets made.