Blackstone Valley Xpress October 8, 2021

6 The Blackstone Valley Xpress • www.blackstonevalleyxpress.com • October 8, 2021
Uxbridge voters set to
modernize their Town Charter
Charter Review Committee
UXBRIDGE – Uxbridge voters
will meet on Wednesday,
October 27, in a dedicated
session of their Fall Town
Meeting to consider and
vote on changes to the Town
Charter.
The Charter, first adopted
in 2000, under provisions of
Massachusetts General Law
43B and updated in 2010
serves as the town’s “Constitution”
which defines the
structure of town government,
and powers and duties
of town officials. Nine
Uxbridge residents were
appointed in March 2020 by
the School Committee, Selectmen
and Moderator and
tasked with reviewing and
updating the Charter.
The Charter Review Committee
held 30 public meetings
over the past year during
which 19 current and
past town officials and employees
were interviewed
and input was received from
the community. The committee
then incorporated those
diverse inputs and views and
entered into deliberations
with guiding principles: a)
of addressing long-term issues
in town government;
b) ensuring checks, balances,
oversight and accountability;
c) increasing
governmental transparency;
d) transitioning regulatory,
taxing and fee-setting Boards
from appointed positions to
elected by voters.
The result is a series of
articles to be taken up by
voters in the extended town
meeting. The proposed
changes are intended to create
a governing framework
that will be consistent with
contemporary values and
resolve inconsistencies and
inadequacies in the current
document. A cosmetic
change will bring the town
into the modern era by renaming
the town’s executive
body to the gender-neutral
“Select Board.” Other
changes refine the number
of members and on various
boards, committees, and
commissions and reorder
whether they are to be appointed
or elected.
If approved by the voters,
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the most significant change
will be the establishment of
a Board of Public Works to
provide focused oversight
of the Highway, Water, and
Wastewater Departments
along with the assorted other
“housekeeping” functions
of the Department of Public
Works. Special legislation
will be sought to establish
this board as a five-member
body rather than the three
members anticipated by the
enabling legislation so that a
more diverse range of experiences
and interests may be
brought to bear.
Mundane, but still important,
changes will add a human
resources position to
oversee personnel matters,
establish a “sunset” provision
to automatically de-establish
archaic or non-functioning
boards or committees. Other
changes will add a new tool
for accountability, strengthen
and regularize the auditing of
town accounts, and increase
the transparency of government
by stronger public posting
requirements for town
documents.
Charter reviews are a
once-in-a-decade event so
the government structure
put in place by the voters
will function for the next ten
years.
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