Item Coversheet


Town of Arlington, Massachusetts


ARTICLE 20
Warrant Article Title:
HOME RULE LEGISLATION/BYLAW AMENDMENT/CHANGE THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN TO SELECT BOARD
Summary:

To see if the Town will vote to authorize and request the Board of Selectmen to file Home Rule Legislation to amend the Town Manager Act, and further to amend the Town Bylaws to change the name of the Board of Selectmen to the Select Board in all relevant provisions and variants of presentation in the Act and the Bylaws; or take any action related thereto.

Requested by:
Inserted at the request of Clarissa Rowe and ten registered voters
Voting:

Board of Selectmen Voted:  That the Town hereby amends the Town’s General Bylaws as follows:

 

First, that the entirety of the Town Bylaws be and hereby are amended to substitute the term “Select Board” for: (a) for “Board of Selectmen” (and any abbreviated variant thereof), and (b) for “Selectmen” in contexts in which that term refers to the Select Board as a whole, acting as a board;

 

Second, that the entirety of the Town Bylaws be and hereby are amended  Substitute (a) “Select Board member” for “Selectman”, and (b) “Select Board members” for “Selectmen” in contexts in which that term refers to one or more (or all) Selectmen individually but not to the entire Select Board acting as a Board.

                                                                       

Third, that Title I, Article 2, Section 1, be and hereby is amended to add a clause noting that that the Select Board is the body historically termed the “Board of Selectmen” and holds all of the powers and duties associated therewith, so as to read as follows:

 

Section 1. Duty The SelectmenSelect Board shall have the general direction and management of the property and affairs of the Town in all matters not otherwise provided for, so far as permitted by law. 

 

The Select Board is the entity historically known as the “Board of Selectmen,” and possesses all the duties, authorities, and legal rights and responsibilities of the Town of Arlington’s “Board of Selectmen.”

 

Fourth, that Title I, Article 2, be amended to provide for new section 6, to provide that an individual member of the Select Board may be referred to by office in the following manners:

 

Section 6.  Office Title

Members of the Select Board may be addressed as “Select Board Member,” or “Board Member,” “Selectwoman,” or “Selectman.”

 

IT IS FURTHER VOTED:That the Town does hereby request and authorize the Board of Selectmen to file Home Rule Legislation to provide substantially as follows:

 

“AN ACT AMENDING THE TOWN MANAGER ACT OF ARLINGTON TO RENAME THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN, ‘THE SELECT BOARD.’”

 

 

Section 1. Chapter 503 of the Acts of 1952 (The Town Manager Act of Arlington) as subsequently amended, is hereby amended in all sections and subparts to substitute the term “Select Board” for: (a) for “Board of Selectmen” (and any abbreviated variant thereof), and (b) for “Selectmen” in contexts in which that term refers to the Select Board as a whole, acting as a board;  and further amended in its the entirety to substitute (a) “Select Board member” for “Selectman”, and (b) “Select Board members” for “Selectmen” in contexts in which that term refers to one or more (or all) Selectmen individually but not to the entire Select Board acting as a Board.

 

Section 2.  Said chapter 503 is further amended by appending the following clause to paragraph to the end of Section :

 

‘The Select Board and its members are the entity and elected offices historically known as the “Board of Selectmen,” and “Selectman” respectively, possessing all the duties, authorities, and legal rights and responsibilities of the latter.’

 

Section 3.  This Act shall take effect upon its passage.”

ATTACHMENTS:
TypeFile NameDescription
Reference Material Article20_Schlichtman_SubstituteMotion.pdfSchlichtman Substitute Motion