- Home
- Departments
- Town Clerk
- Information & Resources for Boards, Committees & Commissions
Information & Resources for Boards, Committees & Commissions
Newly appointed or reappointed members of any of the Town of Milton’s boards or committees are required to be sworn to faithful performance of duties prior to taking any official action of a committee or board, as stated in MGL Chapter 41, §107. This includes participating in any meeting requiring a vote. Please contact the Office of the Town Clerk to schedule an appointment
All elected and appointed officials will be emailed the following materials, which must be read prior to taking the oath of office, as all public employees are required to sign a written acknowledgment that they have received, read and understood the Open Meeting Law.
- Open Meeting Law Guide
- General Law- Part I, Title III, Chapter 30A, Sections 18-25
- Open Meeting Law Regulations
All Board, Committee and Commission members a required to follow Open Meeting Law Guidelines. Below is the newest version of the Open Meeting Law Guide and Education Materials as well as Public Body Checklists for referral.
- 2025 Open Meeting Law Guide and Educational Materials
- Certificate of Receipt of Open Meeting Law Material (PDF)
- General Law-Part I, Title III, Chapter 30A, Sections 18-25 (PDF)
- New OML Regulations (PDF)
- OML Notice Checklist
- OML Minutes Checklist
- OML Chair Responsibilities Checklist
- OML Executive Session Checklist
- OML Prelim Scren Committee Checklist
- Responding to OML Complaint Checklist
To ask specific questions about the Open Meeting Law or to report a violation, click here.
All elected and appointed members are required to create an account with the State Ethic Commission using the following link.
https://massethicstraining.skillburst.com/User/index.php
All elected and appointed members are required to complete the two component Ethics Training and Acknowledgement within 30 days of taking the oath of office. Ethics Training must be renewed EVERY 2 YEARS. The Acknowledgement must be completed ANNUALLY.
The Town Clerk's Office has real time access to view all certificates, therefore, printing and providing it to our office is not necessary. An email will be automatically generated from noreply@skillburst.com to the email on file when either component needs to be renewed.
https://www.mass.gov/how-to/complete-the-conflict-of-interest-law-education-requirements
- Meetings must be open to the public and held in an accessible public space
- Meeting Notices must be emailed to the Town Clerk at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting day/time (excluding Saturday/Sunday/Holiday)
- Meeting Minutes must be kept by the committee and posted to the Town website.
- Committees cannot act without a quorum of 50% +1 of the full committee
- Executive Sessions may be called for specific purposes only and must be properly documented (See Open Meeting Guide for list)
- Email communications between members are prohibited except for housekeeping or administrative purposes
- All committee emails must be retained as public record
The Town Clerk and/or Town Counsel is available for guidance in this matter.
Public Posting: It is the responsibility of the committee Chair or committee designee to notify the Town Clerk of the time, date, and place of meetings. The posting should also include the agenda listing all topics that the committee reasonably anticipates will be discussed at the meeting. It is suggested that discussion matters be scheduled; this will help to avoid inconvenience to the citizens who attend a meeting to see action on a specific subject. State law requires, except for emergencies, that meetings be posted at least 48 hours in advance, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.
It is the responsibility of the sender to confirm receipt and posting by the Town Clerk's Office to ensure compliance with the 48-hour OML posting requirement. Notice will be posted on the Town's website for all meetings.
It is the responsibility of the Board or Committee holding the meeting to verify that the meeting is posted timely and accurately to the Public Meeting Calendar.
Recordkeeping and Minutes: State law requires a committee keep accurate written records of its public meetings and vote to approve all minutes. The records of each regular meeting are public information. Minutes must include record of the date, time and place of the meeting, the members present and absent, documents discussed at the meeting, and any actions taken at each meeting, including executive sessions.
The committee Chair, or designee, must maintain a paper copy and an electronic version of all approved minutes for public record. The Chair must submit committee minutes in electronic format, to the Appointing Authority and must post to the Town's website.
Citizens appointed to public committees are not subject to any restrictions concerning political activity. All appointed members have an obligation to foster and preserve a sense of public trust. Members must avoid becoming involved in matters that are directly affected by or affect their personal or professional interests. Each member must make known personal issues that pertain to any matter of discussion to the committee.
The following procedures will avoid problems:
- Disclose interest and ask the secretary to note this disclosure in the minutes.
- Avoid participation in any discussion of the matter.
- Abstain from voting on the matter
This practice should be followed if there is even a hint of a conflict of interest. Town Counsel is available for guidance in this matter.
All resigning members must submit their resignation in writing to the Town Clerk and to the appointing authority. As a matter of courtesy, the resigning member should send a copy to the committee Chair.