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CHARTER REVIEW COMMITTEE <br /> Regular Session Minutes <br /> September 29, 2025 <br /> Question on budgetary support for committee activities(e.g., hiring consultants)—agreed <br /> this should be handled at the municipal staff level if specialist review is required. <br /> NEW BUSINESS <br /> Discussion of specific legal clarification requested on open/pending Items 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 41 <br /> &42. <br /> • Running for Multiple Town Offices (item 22) <br /> Legal question as to whether the Charter can restrict an individual from appearing on <br /> the ballot for more than one town office. <br /> 0 Noted Massachusetts state law allows running for multiple offices as long as duties <br /> do not conflict. <br /> a Charter currently restricts holding, but not necessarily running for, multiple <br /> offices. <br /> o Clarification needed on Town Clerk's enforcement (procedures for filing <br /> nomination papers); state law presumed to override local restriction on ballot <br /> access. <br /> Noted prior local examples of individuals running for multiple offices. <br /> • Elected versus Appointed Committees (items 24, 25, 26) <br /> Clarification sought on whether Finance Committee, Sewer Commission, and Zoning <br /> Board of Appeals may be elected versus appointed. <br /> Two aspects for legal review: <br /> o Is it legally permissible to have these bodies elected rather than appointed? <br /> o Can this committee recommend such a change, or must it be done by a special <br /> elected commission? <br /> Noted historical precedent for elected Sewer Commission; Zoning Board precedent <br /> unclear. <br /> • Term Limits (item 27) <br /> > Legal question as to whether the Charter may impose term limits for elected offices. <br /> • Use of"Town Officers" versus "Town Offices" (Item 41) <br /> > Inconsistency in use of "town officers" throughout the Charter — sometimes <br /> ambiguous or inaccurate. <br /> > Need to clarify use of terminology and definitions in the Charter (especially between <br /> "appointed" and "elected" officers). <br /> • Definition of Quorum (item 42) <br /> Legal question as to how a public body determines a "majority of members" for <br /> purposes of calculating a quorum, when there are vacancies. <br /> > Desire for written, cited guidance (case law, statutes, or Robert's Rules)to standardize <br /> practice. <br /> • Audio/Video Recordings & Accessibility (Item 37) <br />